Pride and Prejudice and High School
by ipodrocker16
Summary: It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single girl beginning her senior year at Longbourn High School must be in want of a boyfriend. And the chaos begins.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Jane Austen owns all, except for the names you don't recognize. I am not Jane Austen, because I am twelve, and because if I was Jane Austen, I would own Mr Darcy and spend too much time staring at him to write fanfiction.**

**Pleeease review! When I get reviews, I write more. Seems fair, doesn't it? I write you a book, you write me a review. It's a very simple concept. Okay, I'll shut up now, but just keep that in mind.**

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single girl beginning her senior year at Longbourn High School _must _be in want of a boyfriend. This is a truth that applies to every senior girl at Longbourn. All, except one. Elizabeth Bennet was a smart, witty, compassionate, sociable, lively, and headstrong girl. She wasn't one of the "popular" people at her school, but had lots of friends and was liked wherever she went. And the only one not on the hunt for a boyfriend. This made her more "friend" material for the seniors of Meryton than "girlfriend", as most young men want to be with a girl who tries everything they possibly can to be with him. This had been fine with her. There was one however, who felt the exact opposite. But the only one who can tell this story best, is Elizabeth herself.

"Lizzy!" Jane called me over to our lunch table. I came over and sat down at the table with my friends. There was Jane Netherfield, Charlotte Lucas, my sister Lydia, her friend Catherine Forester (she goes by Kitty,) and Jane's sister Mary.

Jane is the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful, and most modest person I know. Almost all the guys at Longbourn want to date her. Charlotte is sensible and determined, and my best friend. My sister Lydia is a 16. She is irresponsible, embarassing, and acts like a 10 year old sometimes. Her friend Kitty just follows her around all day. Mary is a different story. She's a sophmore, and the smartest and dorkiest person in our whole school, besides Collin Willams, but I don't want to talk about him. The six of us didn't usually sit together, but there was a big party tonight at Meryton's, the most popular place to eat in town. All of them wanted to sit together to talk about what they would be wearing, and I had no choice but to come along, because then I would have to go sit by myself, and that would be no fun at all..

"Lizzy!" Jane said again.

"Yes?"

"What are you wearing to the party?"

I sighed. Jane was popular, so she obsessed over clothes a lot. Although I couldn't care less, it was important to Jane, so I tried really hard not to space off entirely whenever she talked about it. That accomplishment was easier said than done for me, who would be fine going to the party in my pajamas.

"Umm... I don't really know for sure..."

"Lizzy?" Charlotte scolded. "You haven't decided what to wear yet? There's supposed to be a bunch of new students coming in from Derbyshire!"

Kitty and Lydia looked at each other and said in unison, " _Mmmmm..."_ And bursted into giggles. I rolled my eyes at how ridiculous my sister and her friend were being.

Mary put her chin up high and said, "Elizabeth, as much as I always express the same emotions as you on not caring about the opinions of others, I think we should leave a good impression. They are coming from a land of sophisticated culture and we would greatly benefit from their importance."

I tried very hard not to burst out laughing, for Mary's sake. She was always talking in an old- fashioned tone.

"Really Lizzy, I think you should wear your green dress that we got you for your birthday! Remember that one?"

How could I forget it? Charlotte and Jane had got me an expensive beautiful olive green party dress for my Sweet Sixteen.

"Sure, I guess I'll wear that one."

I truly was looking forward to the party. I enjoyed being around people, and knew that I was generally well- liked. The part I didn't like was Jane and Charlotte obsessing over my outfit even more than theirs, as this happened every time we ever went anywhere.

Jane squealed. "Great! I have a feeling this will be a great night!"

I smiled at my best friend. "Me too."

I got home and tried my best to look nice for the party. I did my hair carefully and put on my dress. Jane and Charlotte were counting on me to make a good impression, so I put a little more effort than I normally would have for these things. I grabbed my purse and was able to slip out of the house without alerting my mother, just telling my father that I was going to a party.

"Fine Lizzy, leave me here with these silly women. But I expect you to come home before I am driven into insanity by your mother and sister."

I giggled and said goodbye to my beloved father. I got into my car and started the engine, not noticing that I was nearly out of gas. When I was a block from the gas station, my car stopped running. I sighed. This was going to take a while. I was able to pull over and locked the car before walking to the gas station in my fancy dress and high heels. I felt hilarious as I walked in my formal attire past three bikers in leather jackets, who couldn't have looked more different than myself.

One of the men snorted at me and said, "What's with the fancy getup you prissy brat? Where'dya think yer goin', a royal ball or somethin'? This is a convenience store missy."

I smiled sweetly at him and said, "Really? I didn't notice. Well as long as I'm here I might as well get some gas for my car in this 'fancy getup' as you so nicely put it. You should really get some yourself, it might make people less scared of you." The other two men laughed but the one I insulted just turned red and balled his fists and came towards me.

"Why I oughta-"

"Well I would love to stay and chat, but I have a royal ball to go to," I interrupted hastily. "Goodbye gentlemen."

I quickly got the gas I needed and was relieved to see that the scary men had left. I went back to my car and filled it up with gas, putting the container in the trunk. As I shut the lid, I noticed something on the window.

**Don't be a smart aleck, missy. We ain't likin no back talk.** I knew who it was from and moaned. Now I was definitely going to be late for the party, and for what? Using my wit on three strange men who could tear me to shreds if they felt like it? I sulked back to the store and asked for soap and water to wipe off the graffiti. This night couldn't possibly get any worse.

I had never been more wrong.

**A/N: Well there you go! Sorry about the delay in the author's note and disclaimer. I completely forgot to put them on there! More chapters will come! Be sure to go to my profile and look at useless facts about me! Until next time, REVIEW! Like I said before, I write you a book, you write me a review. Fair trade. And for those of you who saw that this was updated and thought it was another chapter, I'm really sorry! *sobs* Don't kill me! *hides behind sofa before remembering that the people who might want to kill me don't know where i am* To make up for it, I'm about to put up a more exciting (and Darcy-filled) chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nobody except Scott Smith. He is a figment of my epic imagination. The rest is Jane Austen's. I wish I owned it all though. Especially Darcy. But alas, I don't, so I'll just have to get over it. That is probably going to be easier said than done though.**

**Make sure to review! It makes me happy. Sorry if there was slight updating confusion, I put my disclaimers on after I uploaded. So to make up for it, I present Chapter 2! But don't expect the others to come as quickly. Anyways, enough of my rambling. READ AND REVIEW AND I SHALL WRITE AND MAKE YOU HAPPY! I make you happy, you make me happy. Okay. I'm really done now.**

When I got to the party, everyone was there already except for the new students from London.

"Charlotte!" I called her over. I didn't really like parties, because everyone got so caught up in looking good for everyone else, nobody acted like themselves. Charlotte was no exception.

"Okay Liz, let me fill you in." That sentence alone sounded like it was coming from a snotty girl's mouth, and made me want to barf. "The people coming from Derbyshire are named Charles, Louisa, and Caroline Bingley, (they're triplets) Louis Hurst, and a Will Darcy."

"When are they supposed to actually GET here? I was late because of car trouble, but at least I called ahead saying I'd be late!"

Charlotte laughed. "Relax Elizabeth! How about you wait until you meet them before you form an opinion of them?"

I realized how stupid I was being, and laughed. "Okay Char, I guess I can wait another 20 minutes."

"Looks like you won't have to wait that long Lizzy. They're already here!"

I looked across the room and saw five people standing in a group. There were two girls (who I assumed were the Bingley sisters) in designer clothes, and wearing what I guessed to be at least 5 pounds of makeup. The three guys couldn't be more different. There was one who was a little overweight and not very good-looking, with black hair and blue eyes. One of the other guys was very cute and looked really happy to be there. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. The last guy was extremely handsome. He was tall, had beautiful curly brown hair, and dark brown eyes. He was MUCH better looking than the other two, and reminded me of someone, but for the life of me I couldn't remember who.

Charlotte and I walked over to Jane.

"Isn't the blond-haired guy CUTE?" exclaimed Jane with wide eyes.

"Yes, but I think I like the taller guy better," I said. It was true, I thought the dark haired boy was much handsomer than the others.

"Lizzy, Charlotte, they're coming over!"

Charlotte and I turned around to see Scott Smith leading them over towards us. I was surprised. Scott was the star quarterback on our football team. At our school, there was a very small group of about 30 people who thought they were better than everyone else, and Scott was one of them. Little did they know that the other 400 kids in our senior class thought they were idiots and made fun of them behind their backs for being so rude. Judging by the way everyone was talking about the new kids, I was without a doubt that they would instantly be dragged into the "popular" group at our school. Jane was gorgeous, so she was automatically popular. But since she had a heart of gold, she chose to hang out with us instead.

"Hi Jane. Elizabeth, Charlotte." Scott said. He looked like it was a nuisance talking to us. I still wasn't sure why _he_ was introducing them to us.

"Hey Scott," I said, trying to be friendly, although not really having the patience to talk to him at the moment.

"Charles and his friends said they wanted to meet you." He gestured to the blonde guy who I assumed was Charles. Then I understood. Charles had probably asked to meet us because he was smart enough to notice that Jane was ten times prettier than any other girl in the room.

"Hi! I'm Charles Bingley. It's really great to meet you girls," he said, looking (of course) at Jane.

Jane blushed and said, "I'm Jane Netherfield. These are my friends Elizabeth Bennet and Charlotte Lucas. We're really happy to meet you too." I could easily tell that Jane liked this Charles guy. I couldn't blame her. He seemed really nice and friendly.

"These are my sisters, Caroline and Louisa."

The girls smiled slightly and then went back to looking extremely bored.

"This is Louisa's boyfriend, Lou Hurst, but we just call him Hurst." The large one named Hurst put down his handful of pretzels for a second to shake our hands, then went back to shoving them in his mouth.

"And this is my best friend, Will Darcy. Darcy, this is Jane, Elizabeth, and Charlotte." He pointed to the guy who I had thought was the handsomest. Darcy glanced at us. He kept a sangfroid expression and said without smiling, "Hello." Then he turned to Charles. "Charles, I'll be by the refreshments if you need me."

Then he turned away and walked away to the other side of the room. I instantly didn't like him, and was affronted by his rudeness. Charles didn't appear to notice though. He and Jane seemed to hit it off very well. They walked over to the refreshment table to get punch.

"Did you ever meet such a proud, disagreeable boy in your life!" I cried.

Charlotte agreed. "I know, that was pretty rude. I can't believe you thought he was cute!"

I snorted. "Yeah, well that was when he DIDN'Thave a look of disdain on his face!"

Charlotte laughed. "Maybe he's not so handsome after all. Besides, maybe he was just having a bad day."

"Oh please Charlotte. I know rude when I see it. And Will Darcy is rude with a capital R."

Just then Collin Williams waddled over. "Elizabeth Bennet. Charlotte Lucas. What a delightful surprise to find you here this moderately chilly evening. I was just pondering the possibility of finding you ladies in the room."

I sighed. I wasn't in the mood for one of Collin's lectures. "Hi Collin. Are you having a good time?"

Collin looked at me and blinked slowly. "Yes Elizabeth, I am having a very nice evening at this assembly. Thank you for thinking of me. That is one of the things I admire about you Miss Bennet. You are always thinking of the rest of our species before yourself."

I gave Collin a quick smile and turned away to Charlotte, hoping that for some miraculous reason, he would take the hint. As usual, he didn't.

"Isn't it a pleasant evening outdoors? The high temperature is 72.8 degrees, and the low is 56.2. I was just talking about it with Mrs. De Bourgh. She even recommended me wearing this very tweed jacket, for her ladyship (that's what Collin sometimes called her. I wasn't really sure why...) recalled me wearing this humble fashion at last year's science fair. She is very attentive to these things. And so considerate! Miss Bennet, I'm afraid Mrs. De Bourgh wouldn't approve of your dress. It is rather short and your shoulders aren't covered. I think it is very fine myself," he gave me a wink that made me want to hurl. "But I am afraid that Mrs. De Bourgh has very high expectations of modesty, and we wouldn't want to disappoint her, would we?"

Mrs. De Bourgh was the AP English teacher at our school. I would be joining her class in a few months, and Collin talked about her constantly. Even though my dress wasn't that short (it was right above my knee) and I didn't really care what Mrs. De Bourgh thought of me, I tried not to lose my patience with Collin, because he was always so nice to me.

"Of course not Collin. I will try to put Mrs. De Bourgh's interests in mind next time I get dressed."

Collin gave me an nod of approval. "Thank you Elizabeth. I felt it was my duty to make you aware of the disapprobation that may occur from our esteemed teachers." With that, he patted me on the arm and waddled away.

Later that night I was getting punch near Charles and Darcy. I overheard them talking, but they didn't realize I was there.

"Darcy," Charles said. He looked excited. "Have you ever met anyone as beautiful as Jane?"

I smiled. I was happy for Jane. I could easily tell that she and Charles really liked each other, and they had already danced a few dances.

"She smiles too much," Darcy said with a frown.

I almost laughed, he sounded so ridiculous!

"You've got to be kidding me Darcy! Stop being so serious! Maybe you could ask her friend Elizabeth to dance. I think she might like you."

It took all the self-control I had in order not to choke on my punch from bursting into laughter. Charles couldn't be any more wrong about my feelings for Darcy! Sure I had thought he was good-looking at first, how could any girl in her right mind not think he was cute? But like him? I hadn't known him for 2 hours and I already disliked him. It was comical.

"Elizabeth Bennet? Please Charles. She's not pretty enough for me. Nobody else wants to dance with her. Why should I? Besides, Scott Smith said that she's not even popular at all. Go back to your partner. Enjoy her smiles. You're wasting your time with me."

Despite my ill-feelings for Darcy, these words stung. He immediately sunk even lower in my opinion. I walked away, convinced that although for Jane's sake I would gladly try and get along with Charles, but that I would avoid Darcy at all costs.

**A/N: If you are wondering why the heck I put the biker dudes in Chapter 1, it was because I wanted to make Lizzy seem tough and not afraid of much, and also because I needed to fill up that chapter. REVIEW AND I SHALL GIVE YOU A VIRTUAL DARCY CLONE. That's right. Darcy clone. ENJOY!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I am not Jane Austen. Jane Austen didn't have access to FanFiction. I do. So this is all hers. All of it. Everything. (Almost everything.)**

I was dreading going back to school on Monday. I knew that all of Meryton would be obsessing over Darcy and his friends. Darcy had gone the whole night without dancing or talking to anyone, yet half the girls in our school were already drooling over him. Although I would be happy if I never had to see him again, Charlotte had joined his ever growing fan club, even though she had witnessed his rudeness before. I even told her about the conversation I overheard between Darcy and Charles, and she didn't even care!

"Elizabeth I'm sure that Darcy didn't mean it. He didn't seem like he was feeling too well."

She kept trying to make excuses for him. To me illness didn't appear very likely to account for Darcy's rudeness.

"Fine, Char. Tell me what kind of illness makes you insult people you don't even know?" I demanded.

"Well whatever it is, you seem to have the same disease!" she retorted. "Look Lizzy, just give Darcy a chance. I'm sure he's a great guy if you get to know him."

I snorted. "Well somebody else can tell me what he's like, because I don't ever want to see him again!"

Charlotte turned to Jane and said with a smirk, "I'm sure Jane could weasel it out of the _excellent_ Mr. Bingley."

I laughed. "Oh yes, I bet our Mrs. Bingley could get Charles to do _anything_ for her."

Charles and Jane had spent basically the whole night together. When he talked to me, he was really nice and enthusiastic. I liked Charles just as much as I disliked Darcy, and was very happy for Jane. It was obvious that he liked her better than every other girl in the room.

Jane blushed as she said "Oh please stop teasing! Charles is attentive to _everybody._ He just has that kind of personality."

I rolled my eyes. The best thing about Jane was that she had absolutely no idea how wonderful she was.

"Jane Netherfield. I've been telling you for years that ever single guy in this school would be LUCKY to go out with you!"

Jane tried to change the subject. "What about Darcy? You guys would make a cute couple."

I stared at her in disbelief. "Me. And Darcy. You have got to be kidding me Jane. Besides him being the most proud, disagreeable boy I have never met, who I would never even consider going out with, people like him don't go out with people like me. Don't give me that look! You know exactly what I mean. You and Charles and Darcy and the Bingley sisters are all popular. Me and Charlotte are normal. It's a fact of life."

Charlotte nodded. "It's true Jane. Everyone's popular for different reasons. You because you're the prettiest girl at our school, Darcy because he's gorgeous and super rich, the Bingley sisters because they're dripping from head to toe in designer clothes and makeup, and Charles because he's cute and from London. It's not the same as having friends. You are our friend because we love your gentle personality and everything else about you."

Jane was about to say something (probably in our defense) when Charles came over with his lunch tray, followed by a solemn Darcy.

"Hi Jane! Hi Elizabeth, Charlotte!"

We all smiled and said hi back to him.

"Would you mind if we sat by you today?" Charles asked, clearly addressing Jane.

I smiled. I truly was happy to have Charles sit with us. But Darcy, not so much.

"Of course! It was really great to meet you guys last Friday." I glanced at Darcy for a moment while I was speaking. I was startled to see him looking at me intently. I looked away as fast as I could.

"Yeah! I hope we can all become better friends."

Charles took the seat next to Jane, and Darcy sat down next to him. He kept looking at me, and I didn't like it. I couldn't figure out why, and it was getting on my nerves. So I took caution not to look him in the eye.

We all talked to Charles for a while, with Darcy occasionally dropping in a word or two. It seemed like he felt it was a punishment to talk to us, and was only doing it because he had to. I was liking Charles even more than I already had. He was extremely nice and friendly, and seemed genuinely happy to talk to us. I hoped he would ask Jane out soon.

When lunch was almost over, Charles asked us if we wanted to come to his beach house for the weekend. It was a three day weekend, so he said he would pick us up from school Thursday when we could drive up there, and then leave on Sunday afternoon. Jane and I accepted, but Charlotte had her sister Maria's confirmation, and couldn't go. I was excited. As much as I loved swimming, I was anxious for Jane and Charles to spend more time together.

Charles smiled. "Great!" He turned to Darcy. "Do you want to take your car or ride with us?"

I tried really hard to hide my disappointment. Darcy was coming too? This would definitely put a downer on the weekend for me.

Darcy looked agitated. "I wish I could take my car Charles, but I'm having it repainted this weekend. So," he glanced at me, clearly disgusted by having to spend a whole weekend with us, "I guess I'll have to come with you guys." His face grew even more serious. "As long as I don't have to sit by Caroline."

Charles laughed. "That I think you could scarcely avoid!" He turned to us. "Jane, Elizabeth, could we sit by you at lunch again tomorrow to discuss our plans for the weekend?"

"That'd be great Charles!" I was still a little confused about Darcy's reference to Caroline. I had assumed they were an item, the way she had hung by him all night on Friday. Apparently I was wrong!

**A/N: Hope you liked it! There will be more to come, I promise! School starts on the fifteenth for me, so I might be behind on updating after that. Thanks! Oh and I would like to thank iPinkNinja for declaring to review every chapter. It made me happy! :) Reviews make me happy. When I'm happy I get inspired. When I'm inspired I write something. When I write something I post it. When I post something you are happy. So if you review, you will be a happier person!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I'm not Jane Austen, because I am alive! I. OWN. NOTHING. Seriously. This is my mom's laptop.**

**A/N: This chapter is very VERY short, because, well, I just wanted it to be like that. Also, there might be a slight delay in updates starting next week, as I have school starting and my birthday, so just saying. Anyways, ENJOY! And reviewers are AWESOME!**

Thursday came. After school Jane and I made our way out to the parking lot. I had brought some homework to do in the car, because I had a hunch that there would be nobody to talk to. Charles had talked pretty much only to Jane when he sat by us on Tuesday. It was evident that Hurst's only goals in life were to eat a lot and play Solitaire on his iPod all day. He played it at lunch, between classes, and even during class sometimes! Louisa and Caroline always talked about shopping. And I had finally figured out what Darcy's problem with Caroline was.

In Chemistry Mrs. Long has put the three of us in a lab group. Caroline had flirted with Darcy the whole entire time. It turned out she was extremely annoying, and I almost felt sorry for Darcy. He made it obvious that he wasn't at all interested.

On Wednesday Caroline had ditched school to go shopping, and Darcy and I had an actual conversation that made me like him even less. For the past half hour we had hardly spoken a word to each other, except "needs more borax" or "can you fill up the beaker?". I didn't want to be as rude as him, so I asked him if he was excited for our trip this weekend.

He said, "More or less. As much as I like Charles's beach house, I don't know if I can stand a whole weekend with Caroline."

I laughed. "Well if you have to you can just surf the whole time."

He looked at me and coldly replied, "Even if _Caroline_ wasn't there, I would probably use surfing as my escape anyways."

It was as if he wanted me to hate him.

I retorted, "Yes, I'm sure we would all be delighted if you just worked on your surfing skills the whole time."

He looked at me with his mouth wide open and turned beet red. "What I meant was... Its just that... Oh never mind."

Darcy hadn't realized that I wasn't going to let him get away with insulting me so easily.

That was why I was less than pleased that on Thursday when I got in Charles's Suburban to find that the only open seat was next to Darcy.

"Hello Elizabeth." He half-smiled at me. I was surprised that he was even talking to me, let alone trying to be _friendly. _But I didn't want to seem rude, so I smiled and said "Hi." I hadn't realized that Caroline was in the back, and was a bit startled when she said, "_She's _coming too?" The smile that had been on my face when I greeted Darcy was immediately wiped off as Caroline spoke. As much as I knew that Caroline and I were in different "social classes" at school, I didn't think she'd be as rude as Darcy was yesterday.

Apparently Darcy sensed her rudeness, and immediately said, "Yes, didn't Charles tell you? We invited Jane and Elizabeth for the weekend." I looked up front to see how Charles bore his sister's mean greeting, but he was too focused on driving and talking to Jane to realize what had just happened.

For the rest of the trip, I worked on my homework and stared out the window. Darcy kept trying to make small talk with me, but I really wasn't in the mood to respond. I would answer his questions about school and my family, and then turn away. About halfway through the trip I finished my homework, and looked out the window. It all looked so nice and peaceful, that I began to get sleepy. The last part of the car ride I remembered was Darcy saying, "Elizabeth? You look tired..."

I woke up to darkness. I realized that I had fallen asleep in the car. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned to see Darcy shaking me awake. "Elizabeth? We're here."

I was embarrassed to find that everyone else was already out of the car except the two of us. I sat up and unbuckled.

"Thanks. How long was I asleep?"

He smiled as he said, "Oh, not that long. Only about half the trip." It annoyed me that he insulted me one minute and then tried to be friendly the next.

"Oh," was all I said in reply. I was still a little wobbly from having been asleep the whole time, so when I got out of the car I fell over and Darcy caught me in his arms.

He looked at me and I could see him smile in the darkness. "You okay?"

I pulled away from him and said stiffly, "I'm fine." I then walked off to join Charles and Jane. Apparently I wasn't the only one annoyed and confused by Darcy's behavior towards me. Behind me I heard Caroline laugh as she told Darcy, "What a, like, klutz! The girl can't even, like, stand on her own two feet! No wonder she's so, like, unpopular."

I had gotten used to these kinds of comments from the "popular" people who thought they were better than me. Most of them had realized in about 9th grade that you shouldn't judge people on their clothes and money. There were only a handful of popular people at our school, and everyone else made fun of how much more important they thought they were than us. But I had to admit, I had never gotten quite used to being insulted by them.

I heard Darcy say, "Yeah I guess." I felt hurt. He had been nice to me during the car ride, and when I fell, only to now start insulting me again! That was when I made a vow that I would never, under any circumstances, be friends (or anything more) with Will Darcy.

Behind me, a new conversation was taking place. This one however, I did not hear. Darcy was thinking and appeared to Caroline to be zoning off.

"I can, like, guess what you're thinking" Caroline said in a know-it-all tone.

Darcy replied with perfect indifference, "Probably not."

Caroline chuckled. "I know that you're thinking how, like, boring it would be to be stuck with that Bennet girl all weekend."

"Nope. You're way off. I was thinking about a certain someone's pretty eyes."

Caroline was immediately on alert. She was under the impression that Darcy meant her.

"And, like, whose eyes are you thinking about?"

Darcy blushed a little in the darkness, but other than that made no change in address while he said, "Elizabeth Bennet." With that he stalked off, leaving a befuddled Caroline Bingley behind him.

**A/N: There you go! I hope everyone liked it. Don't you guys just love the word "befuddled"? I do! Especially when used in context with Caroline Bingley. Well, I don't really have anything else to say. Reviews make me happy. (Hint hint.) :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey! I love everyone who reviewed! I am not Jane Austen. This is a kinda short pointless chapter, but it needed to be there so that something happened. Well, REVIEW! **When we got inside, it was almost 9:00. Charles showed us all into our rooms; his sisters upstairs next to his room, Darcy's room in the basement, and me and Jane's room next to his. Even being as tired as I was, I could easily tell that the Bingley's beach house was HUGE. Mr. and Mrs. Bingley were waiting for us when we got to the beach house. They were really nice, and had eight cups of hot cocoa waiting for us when we got there (Hurst had two). We were all really tired from the trip, and went to bed right away.

The next morning I woke up to find that Jane had already got up. I went upstairs into the kitchen, where Charles was sitting at a table.

"Good morning Elizabeth! Did you sleep well?" Even in the early hours of the morning, Charles was still friendly.

"Good morning! I slept great, thanks. Are we going to the beach today?"

Charles smiled. "Yes! I was thinking we could water ski today."

I returned the smile and said, "That sounds great, but I have to warn you: I don't know how to water ski."

"Perfect! Darcy is a pro at it. He could teach you before we go."

I smiled weakly. The idea of being alone with Darcy didn't sound good to me AT ALL. But I had promises myself that I would try and help Jane with Charles, and if spending time with Darcy was what it would take, then that's what I would do.

I sat down to have my eggs and bacon. Jane had been getting ready to go for a run, and or course Charles volunteered to go.

Right before they were about to leave, Darcy came in.

"Darcy! Jane and I were about to go on a run. Later we are going to water ski. Elizabeth doesn't know how, and we were hoping you could give her a lesson while we're gone."

I tried to intervene. "No Charles, I'm sure Darcy has better things to do than teach me to water ski." I turned to Darcy. "You really don't have to, I'll be fine."

He responded in a way that surprised me immensely. "No, that's okay. It will be fun!" He smiled as he said it, which surprised me even more than him saying he actually wanted to spend time with me!

"Um okay," I stammered. I didn't want anything to do with Darcy, so I would try my hardest to show him how his abominable pride meant nothing to me.

Darcy and I walked out to the boathouse. Despite having to be alone with him for an hour, I was excited to learn how to waterski. We hopped on the speed boat and went out into the middle of the lake. He stopped the boat and helped me into the skis.

"You just have to remember to hold the rope tight and lean back when I start the motor." Darcy finished with my skis and I jumped into the water, splashing water all over him.

I smirked and said, "Whoops. Hope you don't mind getting a little wet."

He looked really annoyed and said, "Whatever. I don't care."

I rolled my eyes as I swam out the length of the rope.

I adjusted one of the skis just as Darcy started the boat. I hadn't been holding on to the rope, and the small wave from the motor knocked me backwards into the water. I came up and gasped for breath. I looked up to see that Darcy had brought the boat back around and was laughing.

"Didn't I just tell you to hold on?" He kept laughing. "You should listen to me. I know exactly what I'm doing."

I felt myself getting angry. "Yes, I can tell you know exactly what you're doing when you randomly start a boat without checking to make sure the person you're supposed to be teaching is ready."

He looked at his feet, turned red, then looked back at me, only to find that I had been swimming back to the end of the rope.

After several tries, I felt that I was getting the hang of it. I wanted to get away from Darcy as quickly as possible, so I swam over to the boat and tried to get in by myself. It didn't work with the skis. Darcy had to take my hands and help me onto the boat.

"Thanks," I said coldly. We were silent for the boat ride home. When we got back I jumped out of the boat and ran up to the house. I went into my room and shut the door.

I didn't come out until Charles knocked and said that it was raining so we couldn't waterski, and asked me to join them for dinner. We went upstairs to the full table. Mr. and Mrs. Bingley were eating in the kitchen, so me, Jane, Charles, Darcy, Caroline, Louisa, and Hurst all had to eat in the dining room. When Charles and I walked in the table was already full except for the two of us. There was a seat open next to Jane and one next to Darcy. Caroline put her purse on the open seat next to her, and Louisa did the same to the one next to Hurst. I obviously wasn't welcome there, so when Charles took the seat by Jane, I had no choice except to sit by Darcy. How come I always had to be around him?

"Hello Elizabeth." He tried to smile. I just looked at him, and he stopped in the middle of his smile. "Hello Darcy." I decided to match his fake politeness.

"After dinner we are going to try out Charles's new Dance Dance Revolution game. Do you want to join us?"

I was surprised at this request. It was something I would expect from Charles, not Darcy. "Sure, but I'm going to have to warn you, I'm even worse at dancing then I am at water skiing."

Darcy laughed and smiled. "Then you must be a pretty good dancer. You were fantastic at skiing earlier."

His compliment startled me. "Um thanks." He kept looking at me during dinner. I was getting uncomfortable. I scarcely knew how to imagine that I could be admired by such a popular guy, but for him to look at me because he didn't like me was even weirder. In the end I decided that he looked at me because I must, in his opinion, look more wrong or weird than anybody else there. This didn't really bother me. I liked him too little to care for his good opinion.

After dinner, we all went down to the rec room in the basement where DDR was. Caroline and Louisa demanded to go first, and both did great at it. Next was Jane and Charles. Then Darcy wanted to go.

"Elizabeth, do you want to do this level with me?" I was sure Darcy was only asking to be polite, since I hadn't gone yet, because I was positive that he disliked me as much as I did him.

"No thanks, I don't plan on dancing."

He looked surprised. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," I said in a firm voice.

Later that night, Jane and I stayed up talking.

"Lizzy, I think Darcy likes you. He was staring at you through all of dinner!" I would of thought Jane was kidding, except that her face was completely serious.

"I noticed that too. He probably found something so horrible about my appearance that it made him stare," I joked. "But if there's one thing I would be money on, it's that William Darcy doesn't like me at all. I know he dislikes me as much as I do him!"

"I don't know Lizzy," Jane said doubtfully. "He seemed really excited to dance with you and help you with your waterskiing. Are you sure he doesn't like you?"

I glared at Jane. "What is wrong with you and Charlotte, thinking that he's a great guy and actually doesn't wish I would fall under a boat propeller and never come back up? Why can't you just accept that he's rude, proud, arrogant, and hates me? I'm sorry to be so harsh, but I really am not up for another 'Darcy Pep Talk' right now. Goodnight Jane."

I turned out the light and stuffed my head under my pillow.

Jane looked at me for a moment, shaking her head and said softly so I couldn't hear, "That's what you think. Goodnight Elizabeth."

**A/N: By the way, I have a poll on my profile about which Pride and Prejudice character is most irritating. I would love to have more input! Please vote!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I didn't write Pride and Prejudice. If you still haven't realized that, then you are very pathetic indeed, sorry to say it. I promise this is a fun chapter, with a good look at the crazier Bennet's! Also, some almost Lizzy-Darcy action that I decided to put in here to establish Darcy's feelings. Okay, I'll stop babbling. ON WITH THE STORY! **

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><p>The next day was spent at the beach. Darcy ignored me the whole time, which satisfied me and Caroline. She kept flirting with Darcy, who wasn't at all interested. ("Like, I think you should give me a skiing lesson too Darcy. I bet I'd be like, amazing if you were my teacher.") Part of her flirtation with him involved insulting me. ("Like, why'd Charles invite her? Her clothes are like, so last year.") I was relieved when we left on Sunday afternoon.<p>

Charles took us to the Bingley's house to have lunch before Darcy, Jane and I left. When we got there, Darcy's bright red Ferrari was sitting in the driveway. I had known the Darcys' were rich, but not that they were rich enough to afford giving their seventeen year old son a Ferrari!

"I guess Donovan had it brought here when he got it from the shop," Darcy said.

"Who's Donovan?" I asked.

"Our butler," he said nonchalantly, like somebody might say, "my cat" or "my dad". Like it was completely normal to have a butler who took your red Ferrari to the shop for a new paint job.

"Oh of course, I should have known," I murmured under my breath.

"Elizabeth, do you have your car at the high school too?" Charles asked. On Thursday Jane had left her car in the high school garage that she rented for ten dollars.

"No, I walked on Thursday. Jane, could you give me a ride home?"

Jane glanced at her watch. "Sorry Liz, I have to get to the dance studio in 20 minutes, and your place is all the way across Meryton." Jane taught a ballet class for five year olds. All her students loved her.

"Thats okay, I can walk. It's only about three miles home and I'll be back before it gets dark." Just as I said that, it started pouring.

Darcy said, "Don't be ridiculous. Let me drive you. It's not too far out of my way."

"It's fine, I can just call my parents to come get me."

As embarrassing as it would be to have my mother come and pick me up (she would probably spend the time insulting me and complimenting Lydia), I had already spent enough time with Darcy this weekend.

"No really, I insist."

I sighed. As much as I wanted to avoid him, I didn't want to walk three miles in the rain.

I finally caved in. "Okay. Thanks. I hope it's not too much trouble."

"Not at all."

"Thanks Charles, Caroline, Louisa. I had a great time!" Lousia just gave me a little wave, and didn't even look up frm her laptop. Caroline looked bored as she said, "I bet it was like, so different chillin' with us for a weekend Eliza. Like, totally cooler than your other friends, ya?"

I hated that nickname she gave me. Eliza. I never told her to call me that, she just did. I wasn't sure why, but the way she said it made me want to punch her in the face.

"Yes, I had a good time Caroline. It was just as fun as being with my other friends."

I was stretching the truth a bit here. I would much rather spend a weekend with Jane and Charlotte than Darcy and Caroline.

"Well, see you on Monday Elizabeth!" Charles had turned red in the face at his sisters' rudeness that they didn't even attempt to hide.

I thought again how perfect Charles Bingley was for Jane. Both of them were unable to find fault in anyone, friendly to everbody they met, and were the gentlest people I knew.

"Bye Charles. It was really fun. I hope we can do it again!"

Charles grinned at me, and glanced at Jane as he said, "Me too."

Darcy handed me my coat and we ran off into the rain. We got in his car and turned on the radio. I was surprised that he listened to the same music station as me.

"Well I guess we have something in common. We listen to the same radio stations."

He smiled. "I guess we do. Maybe we should talk about music sometimes. We might actually be able to have a conversation that doesn't end in an argument."

I laughed. "I doubt it. You and I were destined not to get along."

"You never know," he said quietly. I shrugged, not completely understanding his answer.

Darcy pulled into my driveway and walked me up to the door and turned so he was directly in front of me, our two faces mere inches apart. The close proximity made me uncomfortable. I was about to go inside, when he surprised me by taking my hand in both of his. What on earth was he doing? Darcy opened his mouth like he was about to say something when the door opened to reveal my sister Lydia.

"Lizzy, what took you so long to come home? We were about to have dinner..." She stopped as she saw Darcy holding my hand, his face and whole body startlingly close to mine, and I flushed, realizing what it might look like. Darcy quickly dropped my hand, and we each took a step back. I was still confused by what that was all about, but completely forgot about it because of what Lydia did next.

Lydia gave me a knowing look and moved her eyebrows up and down suggestively.

"Did I interrupt something here?" She asked, clearly believing she knew the answer. I glanced at Darcy to see that he looked even more embarrassed than I, and also slightly angry, for an inexplicable reason. I turned back to Lydia who was smirking, and I said firmly, "No. Absolutely not."

Lydia glanced at me as if confirming this, and smiled coyly, turning to Darcy.

She put on a seductive face (or at least what she thought was seductive), leaned against the doorway (in what was supposed to be a flirtatious manner), and batted her eyelashes (which made her look ridiculous with all her makeup that she used to try and look older).

"And who's this hottie?" Lydia said, scaring Darcy out of his wits.

Darcy looked so alarmed that I almost burst out laughing.

"Lydia, this is Will Darcy. Darcy, this is my sister Lydia."

Lydia pushed past me in the doorway to Darcy.

"Hey there, Will. It's GREAT to meet you."

She had gotten almost as close to him as he was to me a moment ago, and was batting her eyelashes faster than I thought possible.

"Uh hi," he stammered. Darcy started slowly backing away from Lydia. If I wasn't terribly embarrassed at my younger sister's behavior, I would think it was hilarious.

"Poor Will. You were stuck with boring old Lizzy for the weekend. Why don't you come have dinner with us? You can sit by me." She winked.

"Um sorry I have to go..." He looked like he would rather battle a crocodile with a stick than have dinner with my sister. I couldn't blame him.

He turned to me. "Bye Elizabeth, see you tomorrow."

"Bye Darcy."

Lydia ran her hand down his arm and said, "Bye Will. I hope you can come for dinner sometime soon. Maybe we could rent a movie too... I'm sure we could also find a date for Lizzy so she wouldn't feel left out. I know there are a few guys she likes."

Darcy glanced at me sharply (what was with all his strange and confusing behaviour tonight?), and my face turned bright red as I hissed, "Lydia!" Darcy looked really uncomfortable, with an expression I had never seen on his face before, that made him look cute. Wait, cute? Where did that come from! Will Darcy was NOT cute. He was my enemy. Cute people were like Charles, smiling, nice, and warm. Yes Darcy was handsome, but he was cold. Darcy, being cute? How could I think something so, so, so against everything that he was! I shook my head almost imperceptibly. My thoughts were becoming alarming and distracting.

I finally started paying more attention to the awkward exchange as Darcy stuttered, "Uh maybe… See you Lizzy… Lydia…" and then hurried out to the car and drove away. When he was walking (more like running) down my driveway, I thought I heard him mutter, "That was too close Darcy, way too close." The comment confused me, but I figured he meant the proximity to Lydia. I couldn't help but agree as I went inside.

As soon as he was gone Lydia started gushing. "Oh my gosh, Lizzy he's so cute and rich I can't believe we're going on a date! I have to text Kitty!" I tried to explain to her that Darcy didn't want to go on a date with her, but she wouldn't listen.

"Oh shut up Lizzy, you're just jealous that I stole your hot boyfriend. I like, can't believe he would ever go out with you in the first place!" She didn't even give me a chance to deny him being my boyfriend, but ran to Mom and said, "Mom guess what! Lizzy's boyfriend really likes me and asked me out on a date!"

I couldn't believe what Lydia was saying. She had asked _him _on a date, except she didn't let him give an answer! It was more like demanding then asking. And where did she get the idea that Darcy was my _boyfriend?_ It was outrageous! Then I realized that she may think that she walked in on us kissing or something, by the way we had been standing on the porch. The idea made me want to barf. Darcy and me dating? I inexplicably wondered what Caroline Bingley would think of that.

"Ooh Lydia! I knew it! I knew my favorite girl would always get the best men! But how could Elizabeth ever get such a handsome boyfriend as the one who just came to the door?"

I was used to this. Lydia was the favorite of my eccentric mother, while I had the closest relationship with my father.

"Mom, for one I am not going out with Darcy and I never was. Also, he didn't ask Lydia out. She basically threw herself at him and he made it clear he wasn't interested."

While my mother was busy exclaiming at how Lydia would never "throw herself" at anyone, Lydia seemed to have forgotten the incident entirely and was watching TV with a bag of chips. I sighed. I loved my family, but sometimes they could be a little too much... My father came downstairs from his office. He was always in there reading or doing paperwork. Lydia and I knew it was to avoid my mother. She was always complaining about her nerves, and was often the victim of my father's wit and sarcasm without realizing it.

"Oh Mr. Bennet! We are all so excited. Lydia is going on a date with Lizzy's ex-boyfriend who dumped her right here on this very porch for our Lydia! Oh Mr. Bennet aren't you so proud of our little girl!"

I just stood there with a puzzled and annoyed look on my face. This was getting out of control. Now apparently Darcy had dumped me? Before I could object, my father intervened.

"He dumped my Lizzy, eh?" My father winked. "Do I need to give this boy a talking to?"

I laughed at the image of Darcy having a talk with my father. "No Dad, Lydia and Mom are putting this way out of proportion. I am NOT going out with Darcy and I never was. He didn't ask Lydia on a date either, she, well, you can imagine what Lydia did."

I was sure he could. Lydia was notorious for her flirtation with complete strangers, who were usually two or three years older than her.

"Oh yes," my father exclaimed. "Lydia has had boyfriends enough to satisfy all the girls at Longbourn."

It was true, Lydia did attract lots of boyfriends. She was constantly invited to freshman parties. She was as popular as Caroline Bingley, for the younger kids anyways. Sadly, all my senior classmates realized how ridiculous and embarrassing she was, and were constantly making fun of her and Kitty Forester, which didn't help to increase my popularity.

"Oh Mr. Bennet how can you say such a thing? And about your own daughter even! I will never understand why it is that you put Elizabeth as your favorite. She doesn't have Lydia's good humor, and isn't half as pretty as her friend Jane Netherfield!" My mother was convinced that I was a disappointment to our family.

"Nonsense! Lydia is foolish and ridiculous, like other girls. Elizabeth is smart and intelligent, and didn't take after you at all."

My mother, as usual, didn't catch the insult. "You're right. Elizabeth didn't take after me. Lydia is my spitting image!"

My father walked over to the stairs, and from the top called down, "My point exactly."

When I went to bed that night, I had numerous thoughts, all about Darcy. _You hate him Lizzy. Remember how he treated you. No matter how he looked at you, or how cute he was... NO! He is NOT cute! He dislikes me. I dislike him. He dislikes me. I dislike him. I do not like Darcy. I do not like Darcy. I do not like Darcy..._

The mind works in odd ways. Perhaps it was my determination to have those thoughts, or the fact that I went to sleep thinking it. It didn't matter how, or why exactly, but in the morning when I woke up, I did not like Darcy, and he was not cute.

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><p><strong>AN: Lizzy is in denial... Talk about ignoring the elephant in the room! So I gave you guys some more insight to Darcy's true feelings. You know what he meant by, "Too close", right? He was too close to telling Lizzy he looooves her. I was actually really tempted to make him kiss her or something, leaving her confused, but that would go against the EPIC plot of Pride and Prejudice, so I couldn't. :( But now I have a one-shot idea... :)))So the Bennets have been met, and in the next chapter I will give you more... *drumroll please* ... COLLIN! Oh wait. That's a bad thing. Anyways, school started yesterday, so updates will be few and far between for now on. LUCKY FOR YOU... I got a laptop for my birthday, so that means easier access to updating! YAY! **

**Like I said earlier... The only present you can possibly get me for my birthday is a review. At least comment and say "Happy birthday!". I would really appreciate it, since this chapter took me FOREVER to write, and I'm spending precious birthday time updating. Well, REVIEW AND YOU WILL BE MY NEW FAVORITE PERSON! Or people... Depending on how many awesome reviewer people are reading this long, long author's note... Okay I'll shut up. REVIEW! And read. But mostly REVIEW! **

**PS: If you didn't already know, I have a poll on my profile about which P&P character is the most annoying. So far Caro Bingley is winning... I was betting on Collins... PLEASE vote on my profile! Your opinions really matter to me. So vote and review! Okay now I'm really done.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I'm not Jane Austen, I'm much, MUCH less cool.**

**A/N: OMG. You guys must HATE ME! But put down the torches and pitchforks for a moment while I explain. School started last Monday. The week was HECTIC. Then, my parents went to Chicago so I stayed with my cousins WHO DON'T HAVE WIFI. GASP! So then I came home and did my homework, exhausted. Volleyball has ALSO started today, so I am now busy with THAT too! So, now you can read. AND PLEASE REVIEW! BTW: My poll on my profile about which P&P character is the most annoying? Mr. Collins is winning guys! And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE vote if you haven't. One last thing; New character in this chapter! Guess who. READ AND REVIEW! (And then Mr. Darcy will love you.)**

Jane and I sat down at our usual table on Monday by Charlotte. There used to be three open seats, but since Charles and Darcy started sitting by us, there was only one.

"Hey!" called Charles as he sat next to Jane, and Darcy next to me. I raised an eyebrow at Darcy, and he shrugged. I wasn't sure why he was sitting by me when there was an open seat next to Charles, but decided not to dwell on it. I enjoyed sitting by Charles, but Darcy I could do without.

"I'm going to throw a party on Friday night. Do you guys want to-" But before Charles could continue, Collin Williams sat down in the other seat next to me. My two least favorite classmates, Darcy and Collin, were sitting on either side of me. This was going to be a long meal.

"A party? Charles, are you having a party? How delightful." I looked around the table to see Darcy glaring at Collin, Charles looking confused, and Jane looking as serene as usual. Charlotte didn't seem to be paying any attention to Collin at all, but looking between me and Darcy, with an expression that I couldn't quite place.

Charles finally seemed to recollect himself, and stammered "Umm yeah. It's on Friday at my place. I was going to see if you all wanted to come." He turned back to Collin. "Collin of course you're invited too."

Now normally I would appreciate anyone being nice to Collin. He was a really nice guy, but most people teased him because he was a bit of a dork. But Charles' inviting him to his party made me a little agitated. When we were at social events of any kind, Collin followed me around, because I was usually the only one who would put up with his babbling.

"Oh I would be delighted Charles. Very delighted indeed." He turned to me and said "And Elizabeth, I would be extremely gratified if you would do me the honor of dancing the first dance with me." It was hard to take him seriously when he had a piece of spaghetti falling out of his stuffed mouth.

"Umm... I..." I looked around the table for support. Charles just gave me a pitiful look, as did Jane. Charlotte just kept looking between me and Darcy, which made me turn to him. I was surprised to see a look of anger and hurt on his face as his eyes seemed to plead with me. I had absolutely no idea what that was all about, so I snapped my head away quickly and looked at Collin.

"Uhhh... Sure Collin. Thanks." Collin looked at me seriously and said "Thank you Elizabeth. I assure you that our dancing will be the talk of the party!"

I was sure it would be.

A few days later, I started my new job at Meryton Café. I was excited; this would be my first real job. I was going to be a waitress at the most popular place to hang out in all of Meryton! When I got there, my manager was waiting for me.

"Miss Bennet? I'm Mr. Goulding." He was a middle aged man who I recognized from having come here every week for almost all of my life.

"Mr. Goulding, I'm very glad to be starting work here."

He took me to the back and introduced me to the other staff. There was a cook named Carter, two other waitresses, and two waiters. One was named Denny Forrester, he was Kitty's brother, and the other one was named George Wickham. George caught my eye with his blue eyes and sandy blonde hair.

"Hey I'm George Wickham, but everyone calls me Wickham." He gave me a wink, which made me blush.

"I'm Elizabeth Bennet, but my friends call me Liz or Lizzy."

"Okay then Liz, do you think you're up for this job?" He smiled at me, and I saw that he had cute dimples.

I laughed as I said, "I hope so Wickham."

The next week passed the same way, with Collin, Charles, and Darcy sitting by us at lunch. Darcy and Collin always sat on each side of me, and they would each try to make conversation with me. I was actually grateful that Darcy was distracting me from Collin. Although I didn't like talking to him either, he was at least better than Collin's rambling.

Our conversations would begin pleasantly, but then we would start bickering and arguing so loudly that to get us to stop, Charles would have to stage-whisper something like, "I wonder if the whole lunchroom can hear them."

Charlotte would always jump in with a reply close to, "No, I'm sure it's the whole school by now."

Comments like these would always make Darcy and I look away from each other, both of us blushing and scowling at the same time. This would only in more laughter from the table, excluding Collin, who would try and protest that I could say whatever I wanted as loudly as I had to, unless of course Mrs. de Bourgh was nearby. This gave him glares from Darcy and I, which he didn't take note of.

I talked to Wickham every day at work. He was nineteen, and a favorite of all our regulars. I really liked him. He always had an open and easy-going attitude that made him easy to talk to. One day at work we were chatting at the front counter when Darcy came in. I only noticed he was there when Wickham stopped talking in the middle of a sentence and turned white, looking over my shoulder at the door. I turned around to see a bright red Darcy standing in the doorway, staring at us in shock and what appeared to be resentment. I turned back to Wickham, who after a moment of staring at Darcy, offered him a small wave. I looked back at Darcy who looked at me for a moment, then glared back at Wickham and left.

I turned back to Wickham, who still seemed a little shaken up. "What was that about?" I demanded.

"Uhh..." He stuttered. Finally he looked at me and smiled, though not regaining all of his color. "It's a long story. How about after work?"

I blushed. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew it was silly, because it wasn't a real date, but I was eager to spend time with him none the less. "Sure, sounds great."

He winked and went back to his table. I took one more look at Darcy crossing the street to Starbucks, and hoped that Wickham's story would be good.

Finally all of our customers left and we closed up the café. Denny, Carter, and everyone else besides Mr. Goulding and a few janitors left. Wickham and I sat down at a table and he began his story.

"I suppose you noticed how Darcy and I greeted each other?" He said. I simply nodded.

"You may find this hard to believe, but we were once on much friendlier terms. We were neighbors all the way through his sophomore year. We were best friends. Actually, he was the one who started calling me Wickham, and I first called him Darcy. We thought we were the coolest kids ever." He laughed with a forlorn expression on his face.

"Anyways, my father worked for his at Pemberley restaurant. Mr. Darcy owns the whole line of them." I was surprised. I knew that Darcy's family was wealthy, but didn't know that they owned the most expensive line of restaurants in America and England!

"His father and I were close. In fact, closer than he and Will ever were. Darcy was always jealous, he and his father didn't get along as well as Mr. Darcy and I did. Mr. Darcy promised me a job at Pemberley. It was my greatest dream to work there." Wickham stared off into space, and didn't look like he would continue speaking.

I lightly tapped him on the hand and said, "What happened?"

He sighed. "Will also wanted the job too. He was convinced that I had taken everything that was his. His father, his job, his sister," He paused at my confused expression.

"Let me explain; Darcy's younger sister, Georgiana, is now sixteen. She and I have always been close. She told me once that I was like a brother to her, and she was like the sister I never had. Darcy didn't like how I was closer to his sister and father than he was. As I said, Darcy also wanted the job as junior manager. I believe he wanted it to have a closer relationship with his father than me. When Mr. Darcy offered me the job, I was excited. But Darcy wasn't okay with it. Two months after I got the job, I was fired."

I gasped. "Why?"

"I overheard a conversation between Darcy and his father, when they didn't know I was there. I heard Darcy telling lies about me, falsehoods that I don't want to repeat. Mr. Darcy said he would fire me, and the next day he did, giving Darcy the job. About a month later, Darcy quit. It was too hard for him to work with the normal people. Shortly after, the Darcys moved away to an expensive new house. They left and never came back again. I haven't seen them since then. Darcy made life hard for me at my old school in Derbyshire so I transferred to a military school, and eventually came here."

"That's terrible! I had never thought that Darcy would be as bad as this! You are much calmer than I would be in your situation. He deserves to be shunned and disgraced!"

Wickham sighed. "And someday he will be, but not by me. I respect Mr. Darcy too much to put Will in that kind of position. It would also be bad for their business. Well, I have to get home now. See you Lizzy."

"Bye Wickham."

When I got home I went straight to my room and thought it all over. So Darcy had stolen Wickham's job. I could hardly believe it! But of course Darcy would do it. He was proud and if anyone tried to damage his pride, intentionally or not, he would make them pay. I was still thinking it all over when Jane came in. Apparently she had been waiting for me to get home from work so we could hang out.

"Lizzy? Are you okay? You look a little pale."

"Oh Jane!" I cried. I told her everything that Wickham had told me. Jane was shocked. She didn't believe that so much bad intent could be in the world, let alone in one boy.

"Elizabeth are you sure?" She asked doubtfully. "I know that you don't really like Darcy that much, but he would never do something like that. I trust him, and so does Charles."

"But Wickham gave me names, places, facts! And you could just tell he was telling the truth by his looks!"

Jane sighed. "Yes, I suppose. I don't know what to think about it!"

I drew back a little. "Excuse me, but I know _exactly_ what to think."

The rest of the week passed without incident. Our lunch table remained the same, with Darcy, Charles, and Collin sitting with us. I didn't like talking to Darcy or Collin, so I would try to make conversation with Charlotte. On Thursday I started asking her about the party, and if she was excited for it. She agreed, and then to my horror turned to Darcy.

"Darcy are you exited for the Bingley's party too?"

He looked a little surprised that she was talking to him, but nodded and said, "Yes."

The rest of lunch continued like this. I would try to talk to Charlotte, who in turn would end up putting me in a conversation with Darcy. I didn't get what she was doing, and it annoyed me. I didn't get the chance to talk to her about it until we were walking home.

"Charlotte Lucas, what did you think you were doing at lunch? I thought I had established that I _don't_ like talking to Darcy! Yet you kept making me talk to him! Why?" I demanded.

Charlotte rolled her eyes at me. "Come on Lizzy, how stupid are you? He obviously likes you."

I stared in disbelief. Darcy? Like me? "That's not funny Charlotte. Why on earth do you think that Will Darcy, my arch rival, likes me? I know he can't stand me anymore than I can stand him."

Charlotte sighed in frustration. "Are you so caught up in disliking the guy that you can't see that he likes you? He's always staring at you, looks up whenever your name is mentioned, and appeared to have a minor heart attack when Collin asked you to dance!" We approached Charlotte's driveway. "I know what you think, but at least set aside your prejudice and give him a chance."

As I continued alone, I thought to myself,_ Yeah, like that's ever going to happen._

**A/N: Grrr Wickham... Anyways, if you review, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU, I will update TOMORROW. No, if I get OVER ONE HUNDRED reviews tonight and tomorrow until about 6, (Because I have WAAAY more than that viewing this) I will update tomorrow. But I need ONE HUNDRED! And if I get FIFTY, I will update in 2 days. YOU HAVE TWENTY FOUR HOURS. Anything from a "wy 2 go, updt sn" to a long love letter for Mr. Darcy. But, at least review. And vote for the most annoying P&P character on my profile!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I am NOT Jane Austen. I am much less significant. And epic. And old.**

**A/N: I must say I was pretty angry at the lack of reviews last chapter. So angry, that I didn't do any writing this week. So the next update will probably take more time. If you don't tell me what you like and don't like, how in the world am I supposed to make this better? To the few people who DID review, you guys are awesome. I had this chapter stored away, and it's pretty long. Be sure to vote for the most annoying P&P character on my profile, and REVIEW. Please. **

The night of Charles' party finally came. He greeted everyone who was on time, like a proper host, and then when Jane, Lydia, Mary and I arrived, whisked Jane off to the dance floor. I looked around in wonder. The Bingleys had really outdone themselves. The yard was covered in lights, had a DJ, refreshments, a real dance floor and stage. Lydia squealed beside me.

"Ooh! This is so exciting! My first upperclassman party!" Lydia had overheard Charles and I talking about the party and Charles, being the saint that he was, invited her and Kitty to come.

She ran off after finding Kitty, and I was left alone with Mary.

Mary was a smart, sensible girl. She was the top of her class, and had a tendency to drone on like Collin. Jane and I suspected that she had a bit of a crush on him. We made our way over to the drinks and snacks, and when I was about to get some punch, Collin took the ladle right out of my hand. I looked at him in surprise.

"Hello Elizabeth. Mary. How are you ladies this evening?" He didn't even give us a chance to reply. "Elizabeth, it was very kind of your friend Charles to offer me the invitation. Assure him that I am most gratified."

I tried to hold in my laughter. After Lydia had forced an invitation out of Charles, we had only continued our conversation for twenty seconds before Collin came, giving us a seven minute lecture on how grateful he was for the invitation, how much he loved parties, and how to properly conduct ourselves in order not to disappoint Mrs. de Bourgh. Eventually I pretended I had a bus to catch, leaving poor Charles to Collin.

"I'll be sure to mention it to him Collin." He gave me a creepy smile that sent shivers down my back.

"Actually I was about to grab some punch, so could I have the ladle back?" I just wanted to get away from him as soon as possible without sounding too rude.

"Certainly, Elizabeth. But you must allow me to pour it for you. Mrs. de Bourgh always says that gentlemen should always help ladies."

I was about to protest when Collin took the ladle, dipped it in the punch, and spun around, attempting to pour it in my glass. What happened next can only be classified as a disaster. The punch flew out of the ladle and onto Mary's brand new light pink dress. Mary started to cry. We had done all her makeup, bought her a new dress, and fixed her hair for tonight, hoping she would catch Collin's eye. Now she had a big red stain down the front of her dress. She ran away in tears. People actually started pointing and laughing at her. One junior was really making fun of her.

"See the clown run! Aw, it's crying!" A bunch of other kids laughed. I clenched my teeth and walked up to him, looking the kid in the eye. He was about two inches taller than me, but that didn't stop him from cowering at my fury.

"Don't you dare make fun of my friend! At least she's not a bully and a jerk who can't make a decent joke like you are." With that I slapped him in the face and left the humiliated boy to find Mary. Little did I know that a certain Will Darcy had watched the whole episode, and was thinking about several things. One being how I wasn't afraid to stand up for my friends, another how kind I was to someone like Mary, and also, how easily anger and fury could bring light my fine eyes.

I found Mary as she was getting into her car.

"Elizabeth, would you be so kind as to take Jane home? I know she will want to stay longer."

I looked at her apologetically. "Of course I will Mary. And Mary?"

She turned to me as she was starting the engine.

"Don't forget that you will always have friends in Jane, Charlotte and I."

She smiled faintly. "Thank you. I'll remember that."

When I got back to the party, Collin was waiting for me. I had completely forgotten about our dance.

We got to the dance floor, and Collin put his arms around my waist awkwardly. I didn't realize how short he was until now. The top of his head was at my nose.

"I am extremely sorry about how embarrassed you must be by your friend Mary's clumsy mishap. May I inquire as to where the lady in question is?"

"She left." I answered bluntly. It was really none of Collin's business, considering he only apologized to me, not Mary.

"Oh." Collin blinked. That was all the conversation we had for our dance. He kept stepping on my feet, and I was relieved when it was over. People had been looking at us and laughing the whole time. When he left me alone I went over to Charlotte.

"That was TERRIBLE Charlotte!"

She laughed. "Oh that's too bad, _Mrs. Williams!"_

I shrieked. "No that's too cruel Charlotte! I'd rather be Mrs. _Darcy_ than Mrs. Williams!"

Charlotte's face suddenly turned serious. "I think you have a pretty good chance of getting close to that Lizzy."

I shuddered at the thought. Marriage to _Darcy? _I could hardly imagine it. It would be even worse than being Collin's wife.

I quickly changed the topic. We were laughing and enjoying our conversation when Darcy came up and cleared his throat.

I turned around, surprised.

"Hi," he said.

"Uh hi." I couldn't figure out what he was doing.

"Lizzy, I wondered if you wanted to dance for the next two songs?"

That was the last thing I expected to come from his mouth. Before I knew what I was doing, I agreed and we walked to the dance floor. I turned around to look at Charlotte who was smirking. I sighed and accepted my fate as Darcy's dance partner.

He put his arms around me much easier than Collin had. Darcy was a couple inches taller than me, what Charlotte would call a good height. We were silent for about half the dance. I was about to let it stay that way the whole time, before I realized that he would be more uncomfortable if I made him talk.

"This is one of my favorite songs."

He simply nodded. This was going to be harder than I thought.

"It's your turn to say something now. We can talk about the music or the party."

Darcy smiled and told me that whatever I wanted him to say, he would say.

"That's good enough I guess, but now we can be silent."

"Do you have rules for talking when you dance?"

I laughed. "Sometimes. We should talk at least little bit! It might rid us each of the terrible habit of only opening our mouths when we say something important that will go down in history with the éclat of a proverb," I joked.

He looked annoyed. "That's not like you at all, I'm sure. I can't say if it's just like me or not. You seem to think it's my entire personality."

"I'm just judging by my knowing you rather well."

He gave me an odd look, but didn't say anything.

We were silent through the rest of the dance, and when the next one started, I was hoping I could get away, but he just tightened his grip on me. Darcy and I continued not talking, and I used it as an opportunity to look around the party. I was startled to see everyone watching me and Darcy. There was lots of pointing and whispering. I took one of my hands from around Darcy's neck and self-consciously touched my hair, afraid that it might be completely messed up. I heard him chuckling and looked back up at him.

He whispered, "Your hair looks fine Lizzy."

I blushed, embarrassed that he now thought that I was just some girl who was always concerned with how she looked. I murmured my thanks, slipped my arm back around his neck, and continued my survey of the party. At first I had thought that they were just whispering because there was something wrong with how one of us looked, but we both seemed to look fine. I studied the other girls' faces, and saw expressions of envy. I finally understood. Here I was, ordinary Elizabeth Bennet, dancing with the most popular guy in Meryton. I thought that the whole situation for them was humorous, and their glances at us amusing. But none of them compared to Caroline Bingley. She was red in the face, her hands balled into fists. Her facial expression was one of fury and envy. I laughed at how ridiculous she was.

"What's so funny?" I had almost forgotten that Darcy was there.

"Oh nothing really. I was just looking at our audience." I emphasized the word audience to let him now what was so funny. I was hoping that I could get a laugh out of 'Stoic Darcy' but he only said, "Ah, yes."

The silence was getting awkward as we swayed to the music. Darcy seemed to realize it too, and said "So you work at Meryton Café?"

"Yes, I just started a few weeks ago," I paused, afraid to continue. "When you stopped in the other day I was just making a new friend." The effect was immediate. He stiffened up, and turned almost as red as he had been when he saw me with Wickham. I decided not to press him any further, but I hoped I would get a reply out of him relating to Wickham and his past.

I was disappointed when all he said was, "Wickham has charming manners that help him make friends easily, however retaining them has always been a challenge for him."

"He's been unlucky to lose your friendship. He will probably suffer from it through his whole entire life."

He was silent again. We finished the second dance and we walked over to the refreshments to get punch.

"Do you like books?" Darcy asked. I was surprised he was still with me. I had expected him to be making an escape by now.

"I enjoy reading a lot. I like a variety of things, from Jane Austen to modern adventure books."

He nodded. "Me too. What's your favorite book?"

I laughed. "I'm guessing we don't have the same taste in anything, so if we continue this conversation it will just end in another argument."

Darcy looked slightly troubled. "I'm sorry you think so. I know that my good opinion, once it's lost, is lost forever. Do you think the same way about our arguments? That because we argued once, we will always argue?"

I was kind of shocked that he was so willingly telling me something so personal. The questions he asked me bothered me, and I didn't really want to answer them. I tried hard to think of a clever reply. I decided that evading the question itself would be best.

"If you don't like my way of thinking, why do you think that way yourself? You just admitted that your resentment is something you don't admire about yourself."

He looked confused. "I never said that!"

I laughed at his dumbfounded expression. "Well you just said you didn't appreciate with my logic, and since it's the same as yours, you must be annoyed at yourself too." When he still looked puzzled I nudged him on the shoulder. "Come on Darcy, I'm just joking with you. Lighten up a bit!"

He turned pink in the cheeks and smiled a bit, looking like he was about to reply, when Caroline Bingley came over and attatched herself to Darcy's arm. Of course when Darcy was finally showing signs of humanity, Caroline had to ruin it. On the other hand, I was glad she was here, as then I would be able to leave without seeming rude.

"Will! Elizabeth. How are you doing?" she purred. Her flirtatious manner made me want to puke. She didn't even let me answer her question.

"So Will, like, do you want to dance?" She asked, long eyelashes going up and down faster than should be humanly possible.

Darcy stammered, "Umm... Well... I... Uh..."

I rolled my eyes. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I promised Charles that I would dance with him next, so see you Caroline. Darcy."

As I turned to leave, Darcy's expression turned pale at the thought of being stuck with Caroline all evening. Unfortunately, she seemed to suddenly be warming up to me now that I was leaving Darcy.

"Oh bye Elizabeth! Did I tell you I love your dress?"

"Thanks Caroline. Your necklace is pretty." She absolutely freaked out.

"Isn't it? Lousia and I went shopping in London last summer, and we got it from a world class designer. It's like, of a kind. I've like, had compliments on it all night. Everyone says it brings out my eyes." She was looking at Darcy for the last sentence.

"That's great Caroline. Well I have to go now. Bye guys." I wanted out as soon as could be.

"Umm..." Darcy looked like he was going to make an excuse for me to stay and save him from Caroline, but she cut in before he could think of something to postpone my leaving.

"Yes! Bye Elizabeth! I'm sure I can like, set you up with one of Charles friends. Maybe Tyler? Or John? Will, could you like, help me find Elizabeth a date?" He looked horrified, like it was the absolute last thing he would ever want to do. I supposed that it was because then he would have to spend time with me.

"No that's okay. Single works for me," I joked. Unsurprisingly, neither of them laughed. "Besides, I'm sure Darcy has better things to do. Well I really have to go. Bye now."

I didn't give Caroline time to hold me up any longer. I got up and walked away to find Charles and hopefully, a pleasant dance. We chatted amiably, and I was liking him more and more. When our dance ended he left to go with Jane, which didn't bother me. Charles was a good friend, but to Jane he was so much more.

The rest of the party was a complete disaster. Lydia was the one who ruined it, for me and Jane at least. About an hour before we were going to leave, she decided to start breakdancing. It was the most humiliating thing ever. People pulled out their phones and videotaped it before I could get her to stop. I had to literally drag her off the floor. I assumed it was considered popular among her friends, but not with my classmates. Charles looked uncomfortable, Caroline was laughing, Jane looked horrified, I was humiliated, and Darcy stood next to me looking amused. I wanted to smack him across the face. Jane, Lydia and I left right after that. We dropped Jane off and when I got home I thought about Lydia's display that evening.

I had tried so many times to get my parents to tame Lydia, to get her to stop being so ridiculous. My mother was convinced that Lydia was flawless, and my father didn't care enough to correct her. I had realized the defects of our family before, but this time I got the whole blast of it. I went to bed with confusing dreams about a dancing Lydia, a babbling Collin, and strangely, a smiling Darcy. But when I woke up, I didn't remember the dream at all.

**A/N: Well, did you like it? I tried to keep the conversation that Darcy and Elizabeth had as close to the book as possible, but I feel like it didn't turn out very well… As always, reviewers are my FAVORITE people. Please vote on my profile for most annoying P&P character!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I'm not dead! YAY!**

**A/N: Well, this is a REALLY SHORT CHAPTER, and I'm sorry, I just wanted to get this over with because I have SO MUCH HOMEWORK AND STUFF. So. Read and review!**

I went to work the next day to find everyone laughing hysterically at something on Wickham's phone.

"What are you guys looking at?" I asked.

Denny smiled in greeting. "This really funny video that someone from your school uploaded last night! This girl at Charles Bingley's party was doing ridiculous dance moves!"

I felt like I could sink into the ground. "Can I see it?"

"Sure Liz!" He handed me the phone, and my fears materialized. It was Lydia. I to see who had uploaded it and my anger turned into fury. The username was CaroBing93. Caroline Bingley. I was sure it was a way for her to try and ruin my life.

"Do you guys know who this is?" I asked quietly.

Wickham looked puzzled. "No, but she's hilarious!"

I was about to open my mouth when Lydia herself came bounding into the café.

"Hey Lizzy! You forgot your phone. Mom asked me to bring it to you."

My face was growing redder by the minute. By this time everyone else had gone silent and were looking at each other, the truth dawning on them.

"Thanks Lyds."

"No problem." She was about to leave when she eyed Wickham.

"And who would you be?" Could she humiliate me any more?

Wickham started, and then spoke, his voice having it's usual friendliness, but with a hint of discomfort, "I'm George Wickham, but everyone calls me Wickham."

"I'm Lydia, Lizzy's sister." I could of died just then. "Wickham. I like that. It's what Will Darcy does with his last name too, except Lizzy like, hates him. He said she was ugly at a dance." That was the final straw. I had to make it stop.

"Okay Lydia that's enough. We have customers."

She blinked slowly before saying, "Oh yeah. Well bye Liz. See ya Wickham. Bye everyone!" she called on her way out the door.

After she left there was dead silence. It was Carter who spoke first.

"Lizzy, we are so so sorry. If we had known it was your sister-"

I interrupted. "Carter it's fine. Really."

I turned around to go back to the staff room when Wickham grabbed my arm. "We are truly sorry Elizabeth. Really."

He gave me a dazzling smile that I couldn't resist. "It's okay Wickham. Let's just forget about it."

The rest of the day was easy for me. Everyone felt bad about what happened with Lydia, so they were extra nice to me and did a bunch of my work. Wickham and I were about to close up, as all the others had gone home, when Collin Williams walked in.

"Hello Elizabeth. So nice to see you. I knew you worked here. Isn't it marvelous having a job? I have an internship with Mr. de Bourgh's law firm. So kind of him. So very kind. Just like Mrs. de Bourgh. She always says that she didn't know what we would do without the help. Speaking of the help, how are you? I hope you are well. I was afraid that you might have caught a cold after tending to Miss Mary the other night. Fine party. So considerate of Charles to invite me! He is always so considerate. Is he not? Much like Mrs. de Bourgh, our noble teacher. Such a great lady. So remarkable. Thinking of a great lady, that puts me in mind. Elizabeth, I would very much be satisfied if I could converse with you over here in this booth. Pardon sir? Could you spare Elizabeth for a moment? I need to speak with her on a matter of urgency."

After Collin's monologue I turned to Wickham who wasn't used to him. He was standing with his mouth wide open. He finally seemed to realize that Collin had stopped talking, and smiled.

"Of course my good sir." he winked at me. "I would be very happy to oblige you." I pretended to cough to cover up the giggles that were forming because of Wickham's perfect imitation of a Scottish accent, along with the old fashioned dialogue that only Collin used. As usual, Collin didn't notice he was being made fun of.

"Good. Very good sir. Thank you. It has been a delight meeting you Mr. …"

Wickham smiled at Collin. "I am Mr. Wickham, sir. Well Miss Bennet," He turned to me. "I will close up shop, if you would please lock the door behind you after you are done conversing with this good sir." I smiled and nodded.

"Very well," said Collin. "Nice to meet you Mr. Wikcham sir. Good day. Come this way Elizabeth." We walked over to a booth and sat down. To my bafflement, Collin actually pulled out notecards.

"Almost as soon as we met, I singled you out as the companion for me to take to prom. I have had a secret crush on you for oh so long Elizabeth. But before I am run away by my feelings, I will state my reasons for it."

The idea of Collin, with all his solemn and serious attitude, being run away by his feelings, made me so near laughing that I couldn't use the short break (in what I knew would become a speech) to attempt to stop him, so he went on.

"My reasons for having a date are first, because I believe it is a good thing for every student to set the example of socializing with our peers. Secondly, that I am convinced it will add very greatly to my happiness, and thirdly-" he stopped and looked up in confusion, "Which perhaps I ought to of mentioned first, that it is the particular advice and recommendation of our excellent AP English teacher, Mrs. Catherine de Bourgh. Twice she has spent time to give her opinion (unasked too!) on the subject, and it was last Tuesday afternoon when I was leaving school after approaching her room as I always do to make sure she wasn't in need of assistance. She said, 'Collin, you must have a prom date. A smart boy like you must have a date. Choose a good girl, not too stuck up, choose a smart, active girl, and bring her to me and I will admit her into my class.' Allow me to tell you, that Mrs. de Bourgh's kindness is only one of the advantages of accepting my offer. You will find her beyond anything I can describe, and your wit and vivacity I think must be acceptable to her, especially compared to all the silence and respect of our other classmates. Those are my general ideas about accepting you as my date, and now nothing remains but for me to insure you that I will be a very sufficient partner, and that I will pick you up at 7:05 that evening for the prom."

He then started to get up. It was absolutely necessary to interrupt him now.

"Collin!" I cried. "You forget that I haven't answered! Thank you for your offer, but for me to say yes is impossible."

Collin chuckled and waved a hand in the air dismissively."I know it is usual for young ladies to reject the offers of the man who they secretly mean to accept when he first applies, and I know that your answer will be different next time I ask you. Besides, it's not certain that another invitation to prom will ever be made to you."

My mind was blown by how _stupid_ he was being! He was almost as stuck up as Darcy. Almost.

"COLLIN! My answer is and always will be no! I'm really sorry if this hurts you, but I don't think it will. You're a really nice guy and I bet a girl would be lucky to accept you. But not me."

With that I walked away, leaving a baffled Collin behind me. I hated to be mean to him, but it seemed like the only way to get him to leave me alone. And I was sure that his 'secret crush' on me was all in his head. I shuddered as I stepped out into the cold, away from Collin Williams, hopefully forever.

When I got home from work I immediately made plans with Charlotte and Jane to talk about Collin. I was still in a bit of shock, so I brought the takeout Chinese food upstairs to my room in order to escape my mom's lecturing my dad.

("MR. BENNET! Why did you buy takeout? I was going to take us to a new restaurant downtown so that the girls could meet eligible young men! Oh you love upsetting my plans. You have no pity for my poor nerves!")

Charlotte, Jane and I all met up at the hotel that Charlotte's parents owned, called Lucas Lodge. They had a cozy little café area there that the three of us loved to go to, especially since Mr. Lucas always let us have free hot chocolate. We went back to our favorite booth in the corner, with me across from them. I told them everything from the hour before, and when I finished my tale, they sat in a shocked silence. Charlotte was the first to react.

"Lizzy are you sure that was the right thing to do? I mean I know that we have all been dreaming of senior prom since we were little kids!"

I was slightly disturbed by Charlotte's response. I had been under the impression that she felt the same about dating as me. I had long ago determined that I would only go on a date with someone if I really, truly liked them a lot. The conversation continued in this way for a while longer, with laughs and fun, until Jane's mother called saying she had to come home. We all said our goodbyes and left, none being prepared for what we would face the next day.

**A/N: DA DA DAAAAA! Drama…. Sorry for the short chapter! And I literally copied down Mr. Collin's proposal from the book, and tweaked it a bit so that he wasn't proposing marriage. Though it would be funny if he had…. Anyways, I'm also working on another story, Without The First Couple. It's about what would happen to Darcy and Elizabeth if Bingley and Jane didn't fall in love. Check it out if you want! Also, there's a poll on my profile about which Pride and Prejudice character YOU find the most irritating. Review please!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: This chapter is REALLY SHORT! (LOL something random: My cat is playing with my hairbrush while trying to sit on the laptop. Its SOOOO adorable!) Anyways, the Iowa vs. Iowa State game is today, so I'm FREAKING OUT! The Hawks are soooo gonna win. Which makes me SUPER DUPER HAPPY! (In case you haven't noticed, or live in Europe or something, there is a HUGE rivalry between Iowa and Iowa State fans. Like, MEGA HUGE. Like, trash-talking in the middle of science class huge. Yeah, it's pretty huge.) READ AND REVIEW!**

I was walking down the bright hallway in the middle of the large building that was Longbourn High School. I heard the buzz of people talking, normal every-day high school gossip. I saw a bright light at the end of the hallway, and started walking towards it. But as I was on my way, George Wickham came out from the crowd lining the hallways. Somehow I didn't understand how strange this was, considering he didn't go to Longbourn. But I didn't think about that, and he walked up to me.

He smiled his usual dazzling smile, but instead of feeling amazed as usual, I felt scared. I couldn't think of a rational reason for it, but then again, I couldn't really think at all. He started coming towards me, arms outstretched. Again, he made that sudden pang of terror engulf me. I took a few steps back. Wickham kept coming. I subconsciously sensed music playing in the background, was that the Jaws theme song? I looked at Wickham, whose eyes were turning scarlet red. I tried to run, but all the sudden my legs didn't work. I screamed in terror at the fast approaching Wickham, when suddenly the light grew even brighter.

Darcy had appeared out of nowhere. I watched as he threw Wickham up into the air, where Wickham somehow flew away. Darcy and I were all alone in the glowing hallway with the Jaws music. He gave a little half smile, which the most appearance of happiness anyone ever saw from him, and with one serious parting look, turned to leave. I yelled, "NO! Darcy!". I didn't understand why it was so vital that he stayed, but knew that I needed him somehow. As I ran towards his retreating figure, the hallway just seemed to get longer and the music louder. "Darcy! Darcy! Darcy..." My voice faded into the distance as I woke up.

I heard the Jaws theme song coming from my computer. I smirked, remembering how my little cousin Jeremy Gardiner had changed it the last time he visited from London. The music just led me to think of my strange dream. Shouldn't Darcy of been the bad guy and Wickham the hero? I decided not to dwell on it, it was only a dream after all. I went over to my computer and saw that the time was only 4:07 AM. Why on Earth was Jane requesting a video chat at 4:07 AM? I accepted the request, and Jane's face was broadcasted onto the screen of my 5 year old computer that used to be my dad's.

I immediately sensed that Jane was troubled. Her golden hair was messed up, her eyes were puffy and red, and she had on no makeup (though all of that could have been in response to the time). But the thing that made her distress most obvious, were the teardrops cascading down her beautiful face. I realized that something terrible must have happened, because Jane NEVER cried. Ever. Not when her pet frog died, not when she broke her arm, not even when Mary went missing for a whole day (she had been at the library and gotten distracted by an encyclopedia about owls). Jane may of seemed like a fairy princess on the outside, but on the inside, she was as tough as a rock. A really hard one. I had never seen Jane cry, and never really had to comfort her. When people say I'm tough, I scoff at them and say "Really? You should meet Jane." So Jane crying was a bad sign.

After I got over the initial shock, I was quick to react.

"Oh Janie, what's wrong?"

Jane sobbed some more before choking out, "It's Ch- Ch- Charlie!" She immediately started wailing again.

I sat there, thinking of what it could possibly mean. Charlie and Jane weren't going out, so he couldn't of dumped her. That made me assume the worst.

"Jane," I asked cautiously. "Is Charlie okay?"

She looked up in heart-wrenching surprise. "He- He- He's fine, I sup- suppose. P- P- Probably better off without m- m- ME!" With this Jane broke down into a new set of tears. I could only sit there in watch in confusion and sympathy, occasionally offering comforting words, but I mostly waited for her to calm down. Finally she did, and took a deep breath as she began her sorrowful tale.

"Well after the party I thought everything was going fine. I actually expected Charles to ask me out. Well I woke up about an hour ago to my computer jingle and saw an email from him on my computer. I opened it and read it." Here Jane took a deep breath. Whatever it was, I could tell it would be hard for her to say.

"Overall Charles said that he didn't want to be friends with me anymore. He said that people were asking questions that he didn't want to take the trouble to answer. He asked me not to respond, and to have the best of luck with everything."

Jane let out a high, chilly laugh. I was kind of scared. This wasn't a side of Jane that I liked. The dark expression didn't fit her light features. But then again, the love of her life had just told her he wanted nothing to do with her. That had to put someone in a bad mood.

"He basically said he hates me, and then he says, 'Good luck Jane! Break a leg!' " Jane had a murderous expression on her face as she screamed, "YOU BREAK YOUR LEG CHARLES JOHN BINGLEY!" And she burst into tears yet again.

I tried to soothe her, telling her Charles didn't hate her. I was positive he didn't. He couldn't. I thought that it was most likely his sisters that made him change his mind about Jane, but didn't tell her what I thought. Under influence of family or not, what Charles had done was inexcusable. Soon after, Jane said hasty goodbyes, and logged off, probably to go cry somewhere else.

I stared at the screen blankly. I couldn't believe Charles would do that! I knew of the influence that his sisters had on him, but didn't think that it would go to this extent. One thing that I was sure of was that Charles Bingley cared for Jane. Just because his sisters didn't want him to like her, didn't mean that it was true. Now how was I going to convince Jane?

When I got to school I saw Charlotte waiting for me by my locker. I had told her and Jane about Collin the night before, sharing gossip, laughter, and hot chocolate. That happy night seemed like ages ago, compared to how she and Jane were acting today.

She looked pale, nervous, and overall miserable, so I asked her what was wrong.

"Nothing!" she said quickly. I gave her a suspicious look, put continued putting things in my locker.

"Well at least there's one good thing that came out of this whole Collin mess."

Charlotte looked worried. "What's that?"

I turned to her and grinned. "That he won't be eating lunch with us anymore! It will just be you me and Janie, like the good old days."

Charlotte gulped and I noticed her turning red.

"Charlotte are you okay?" I was very concerned for my friend. Charlotte was usually the steady, sensible one of our group. Jane was the kind, sweet one who made people feel happy. And of course I was the hot-tempered one who had a knack at making people laugh. Usually it was THEM comforting ME for some trivial little thing. Basically if Charlotte seemed upset, there was a huge problem.

She looked at me apologetically. "Oh Lizzy I'm so sorry!"

Now I was confused. "Sorry? What on earth do you mean? What happened?"

"Lizzy I, I, Collin asked me out and I said yes." She said the last bit very quickly.

Collin? Ask out CHARLOTTE? Right after he asked me? And she actually ACCEPTED him? How could she! I had thought I knew Charlotte like a sister (probably better than a sister, considering my relationship with Lydia). How could she do this? Did she not understand the concept of COLLIN?

I chose my words very carefully and spoke slowly, to conceal the fury I felt. "Well Charlotte, if Collin is lucky enough to have you like him, then I am very happy for you both. I suppose he'll be eating with us from now on?"

Charlotte looked relieved. "I'm so glad you understand Lizzy! Yes, he will. What did you mean by just me you and Janie? Our table's going to stay the exact same. You forgot about Charles and Darcy!"

I grimaced as I told her what happened with Jane and Charles. "I have a feeling that they won't be sitting with us anymore."

I laughed darkly. "Well at least Charles won't, and I'm positive now that Darcy has a chance to escape, that he won't be sitting by us anymore."

Charlotte laughed. "Elizabeth it's almost hilarious that you don't realize that Darcy likes you! And I had always considered you to be quick-witted."

I pretended to be offended. In a mocking voice I declared, "I am a perfect judge of character! I am the smartest, most mature person you know!"

With that I stuck my tongue out playfully at Charlotte and turned on my heel dramatically, leaving my laughing friend behind me. I might of seemed happy on the outside, but not on the inside. I knew that part of my trust in Charlotte had disappeared. Our friendship could never be what it was before.

**A/N: Well? Was that angsty enough? The dream at the beginning was REALLY stupid, I know, but I needed a filler because this chapter is microscopically short. Sorry! But Jane Austen had short chapters in Pride and Prejudice, and nobody complains about that! Updates might be a little slow, because I'm also working on a P&P story, Without The First Couple. It's where Bingley and Jane never fall in love! Well, that's all I have to say, besides THE HAWKEYES ARE GOING TO CRUSH THE CYCLONES TODAY! Oh, and I guess you can review if you want. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Knock knock. _Who's there? _I am._ I am who? _I AM NOT JANE AUSTEN. (Aren't I funny?)**

**A/N: Hello again! This is a long chapter, with some important stuff in it. And we get to meet... COLONEL FITZWILLIAM! (Aka Fitz.) I am going to Florida later today, and I THOUGHT I posted this last night, but I didn't! *gasp*. So I'm leaving in a little bit for the airport, but I just HAD to post this before I left! I will try and post the next chapter on Sunday, if I have time. Anways, READ AND REVIEW AND I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER!**

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><p>The months passed normally. We had classes, tests, and homework. Me, Jane, Charlotte, and Collin all shared a table. Charlotte and Collin would spend the whole time talking, and I guessed that Charlotte's patience with him was wearing thin, though she tried hard not to show it. The weeks from Charles' abandonment of Jane up until Christmas were hard for her. She spent most of her time sulking, and wouldn't talk much to anyone. During that time I would catch Charles staring at her from across the lunchroom, and then I would wait until the two of us made eye contact and glared at him. His eyes were usually red, and he looked sad. I always felt a small pang of guilt, but would shake it off. Charles may have been the most friendly boy I knew, but he had hurt my best friend, and I intended for him to suffer.<p>

Through those weeks I was so busy comforting Jane, observing Collin and Charlotte, trying to control Lydia, and glaring at Charles, that I almost forgot about Darcy completely. I only saw him during class, where I did my best to ignore him. I would also notice him staring at me across the classroom sometimes, but that was normal. I always met Darcy's silent staring contest with a look of my own, where he would smirk and look away. Neither of our two groups interacted with the other. I was very happy with this arrangement, as I was finally free of Darcy for good. The pure arrogance of the guy made me sick.

Christmas came and went, and January passed also. By then, several things had changed. Wickham quit work at the café. He never even said why, just one day he was there and the next he wasn't. It was confusing to all of us. That made work lose a little of it's appeal to me, but I kept going. Charlotte seemed to be genuinely warming up to Collin, which made the newly founded gap between us even larger. Jane seemed to be recovering from Charles, but I could tell she wasn't fully herself yet. I also got accepted into Mrs. de Bourgh's English class, along with Charlotte. Jane got put into the same class but at a different time. I was excited and worried for this class. I was excited because it was a very advanced class, and if I did well would look great on a college application. But I was worried for multiple reasons. One being that Collin and Darcy would be in the small class, so there was a very large chance that I would be stuck with them at some point. The other being everything I had heard about Mrs. de Bourgh, making her sound conceited and critical. My friend Richard Fitzwilliam (who went by Fitz) was actually her nephew, and didn't think very highly of his aunt.

"She's always messing with my family's lives! We all try to avoid her, but it never works. You know Will Darcy, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "Sadly."

Fitz gave me a funny look, but continued anyways. "Well he's my cousin, and she's already trying to get him married off!"

I laughed at the thought, and then got serious. "Sorry Fitz, I didn't know he was your cousin. Will and I don't get along very well."

Fitz looked surprised. "Really? But I thought..."

He shook his head. "Never mind. But I agree with you about Darcy, even though he is my best friend. When Pemberley became a popular restaurant, my uncle started leaving on long business trips to the other restaurants in more exotic places. After Aunt Anne died, he was never home. Darce practically raised my cousin Georgie! The family all tried to help, but Georgie's really shy around anyone besides me and Darcy. This all happened when he was just fourteen. He never really learned how to relax."

I was surprised about this new information about Darcy, but was determined not to let his past affect my opinion of him in the future. Just because he had to raise his little brother, didn't give him an excuse to be rude and arrogant.

I knew I had to say something to Fitz though, so I settled for "That's really sad. I didn't know Darcy had a brother. How old is he?"

Fitz laughed. He was always laughing and smiling, so that didn't really surprise me. "No, Georgie is a girl. It's short for Georgiana. She's sixteen, your sister Lydia's age. She was only twelve when my aunt died. Georgiana doesn't like to talk much, she had been the only other person in the car with my aunt when they crashed and Anne died. I think Georgiana is still traumatized by the event."

"That's awful!" I exclaimed. Even though my mother had her quirks, her loss was unimaginable to me.

"Yeah, Darcy always feels like he has to take care of people. Like Charles Bingley. Do you know him?"

I nodded, and couldn't help but think of Jane.

"Well he's Darcy's best friend, and I'd say Darcy takes a whole lot of care of him. If I'm right, I believe that he saved Charles from asking out somebody he shouldn't have."

I was immediately taken aback. That had to of been Jane! So it was Darcy that separated them! I had always assumed it was Caroline, because I thought that Darcy would at least care about his friend enough to let him be happy! I tried to remain calm and appear casual as I asked Fitz, "Why did Darcy think it was his decision on whether Charles should be happy or not? What was so bad about her that made him think he had a right to interfere?"

Fitz looked at me, concerned. I must have unintentionally let some of my anger seep into my dialogue.

"Well if I remember correctly, I think it was her friends that would be bad for Charles to be around."

That made me turn white. So it was my fault that Jane didn't get her dream boyfriend. No, I reminded myself, it was primarily Charles and Darcy's fault. Darcy interfered where he had no business to, and it only resulted in two broken-hearted teenagers. I hated him even more than I did before.

But our conversation ended when Mrs. de Bourgh swept into the room. She glanced at me then turned to Fitz.

"Richard darling! (Fitz stuck out his tongue but she pretended not to notice) I am relieved that you are early, as I am very concerned with these things. I had expected that your uncle's intern, that Collin fellow, would be here but alas, he is not. How very rude. And your cousin! Where is he? Oh this is not to be borne!"

She finally seemed to register my presence, and said in a haughty tone that reminded me of her other nephew, "Richard, who is that girl?"

I tried hard to bite back laughter. Maybe I should have been offended, but I was already in such a bad mood because of Darcy's meddling, that I didn't care.

A deeper voice spoke from the doorway, "Aunt Catherine, this is Elizabeth Bennet."

We all turned to the boy in the doorway.

"Oi Darce! I didn't know I'd have to compete with you in this class too! You've always been Aunt Cat's favorite." Fitz joked. He sighed in mock dejection. "I don't stand a chance against you and Lizzy's smartness." He then slouched with his head down and pretended to cry.

Darcy and I laughed. "Well at least you'll get an A+ in Uncle Daniel's drama class!" We laughed and the boys' aunt was quick to react. She strode over to him, kissing him on both cheeks and making him turn redder than a tomato.

"Fitzwilliam, I was just wondering where you were off to! I was just talking to Richard and your little friend. How do you two know each other?" She asked disapprovingly.

I grinned. Finally I had figured out Darcy's real name! He looked even more uncomfortable than before, as I smirked at him. I decided to cut in, for Darcy was still looking extremely embarrassed and unable to speak.

"Fitzwilliam" I smirked at Darcy, who just scowled at me. "And I don't know each other very well ma'am. We spent a weekend together with a mutual friend, and have a few classes together, but that's it." She looked satisfied with my answer, and Darcy sent me a grateful look, which I responded to with a glare, thinking of Janie and all the pain she went through because of his arrogance.

"Good." Then she started circling me, which was extremely weird. She appeared to be examining me. "Nice looking girl, quick wit, shows proper respect to her betters, evidently smart, and respectable attire, albeit a little messy. Overall a good match, perhaps not good enough for Fitzwilliam, but she would be suitable for you Richard."

I stared at this woman, this person, my teacher, who was supposed to be a role model for people. The person who had just insulted me. The person who had just said one of her nephews was less deserving than the other. The person who was so obnoxious that I just wanted to sprint away as fast as possible. Darcy and Fitz looked very embarrassed on behalf of their matchmaking aunt, and I assumed that my expression was scarcely less so.

"Umm Aunt Catherine," Richard stammered. "Well Lizzy and I are just friends, nothing more." He looked at me for confirmation eagerly. "Yes Mrs. de Bourgh, we are just good friends, absolutely nothing more." She just nodded and said, "I see." Then began class, the embarrassment of the morning forgotten by the three of us. Almost.

The next month went by normally, Fitz, Darcy and I in a literature group together, and tolerating each other perfectly well. Me and Fitz joked all day long, and Darcy proved to have some sense of humor, though I didn't appreciate it because of how he treated Jane. I discovered a new park where I could walk my golden retriever, Austen. It was called Rosings Park, and true to it's name, had a garden full of beautiful roses. I walked there every day.

One day in March, I was in for a surprise on my daily walk. As I was going through the twists and turns of the garden, Austen suddenly started barking and ran ahead, pulling me along with her. I jogged, trying to keep up with her on the crisp spring morning, the cool breeze threatening to remove my scarf. As I ran around another corner I crashed into another jogger, causing us both to fall to the ground.

"Sorry!" I said as the other person started rubbing their head where they fell. "My dog started running and I didn't see where I was going and-" I stopped in the middle of my sentence. The person I had ran into was Darcy!

He laughed. "That's okay Elizabeth, it was equally my fault. I think our dogs smelled each other, because Mister started sprinting towards you also." He held out his hand and helped me up, and we brushed the dust off of ourselves.

"Thanks," I said.

"No problem. Do you mind if I walk with you?" He asked. I was surprised, being sure he wanted to leave my presence as much as I wanted to avoid his. I told him he could, and we began our walk in a rather awkward silence.

I finally started with, "So your dog's name is Mister?" I said, pointing to the beautiful black lab in front of us.

He laughed. "Yeah, my sister Georgiana named him when she was six, even though he's mine."

I laughed at the thought. "That's sweet. Do you have any other pets?"

"Yes, Georgie has a cat named Fluffy, that she got when she was six, the same time I got Mister. She felt like it was her responsibility to name both of the pets." We both laughed.

"What's your dog's name?"

This led us into a conversation about our dogs, and our cats (I had a tabby named Sabrina.) The conversation was rather nice, except the whole time I only thought one thing; I was fraternizing with the enemy. I considered him my enemy by how he had treated Jane. Eventually we parted at the gate, and I told him I always came here before school, hoping he would take the hint not to come back at this time. He just nodded and left. To my despair, he came on my walks every single day after that. We usually talked about little things, him asking random questions and me answering them. We got along all right, only bickering once in a while. After that had been going on for about two weeks, he stopped me at the gate the day before spring break. We usually went on our walks in the morning, but he had asked me to come after school today instead.

"Elizabeth, I have to tell you something, its kind of important." I was surprised at how nervous he looked, and wondered why he was asking to talk to me now, when he didn't talk at all during our walk.

"Okay," Was all I could think of to say.

He took a deep breath turned to me and said, "Elizabeth, Lizzy, I have come to care for you more than I would like to admit. You must allow me to tell you how much I admire and- and-" I could hardly believe what I was hearing as he gulped and said the three words I feared and dreaded the most.

"And love you."

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><p><strong>AN: Hm. I wonder what is going to happen next. (If there was a sarcasm button on this keyboard, I would push it.) So yeah, Darcy's getting REJECTED. :( I really don't have anything else to say. WAIT: Did you guys like Fitz and Lady C? AND MAKE SURE TO VOTE FOR THE MOST ANNOYING PRIDE AND PREJUDICE CHARACTER ON MY PROFILE. Seriously guys, I need you to. PLEEEEASE? And check out my other P&P story; Without The First Couple! It's what would happen if Bingley and Jane never fell in love. AND REVIEW! No flames PLEEEASE!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: REALLY SHORT CHAPTER! I wanted the rest of Darcy's "proposal" to be on its own, so I apologize. I'm back from Florida! It was fun. Well then. Er, please read, I guess. And review. And BTW: I put some new funny stuff on my profile! If you want to check it out. ... I usually do REALLY long authors notes, but I have nothing to say. So, um, check out my profile, VOTE on the Most Annoying P&P Character Poll, and review. And then I will love YOU. (Not really.) OH YEAH! I have a new poll on my profile now: Which 3 Harry Potter characters do you think have the most interesting backstories? PLEASE VOTE!**

And love me.

Love me.

Love me?

Love me!

I couldn't believe it. Fitzwilliam Darcy, king of the jerks, in love? With me? Me, plain old Elizabeth Bennet. The one person who I truly hated was in love with me. It couldn't be true. This had to be some twisted prank. A sick joke. It was impossible. But when my shocked face looked up into his passionate one, I knew he was serious. This was no joke. Darcy was in love with me.

But how? For one thing, we hated each other. Or so I had thought. For another, we were only eighteen. Is it even possible to be in love at eighteen? Apparently it was, according to Darcy and Jane. I was so confused and caught up in my thoughts, that I almost didn't realize he was talking.

"I know that this might sound weird, someone of my popularity at school liking someone like you, but I can't help it. I also know that we are both technically still teenagers, and that we are too young to probably consider being in love, but somehow I am."

He started pacing in front of the trees. Darcy didn't even notice me staring at him in disbelief.

"I know that your family isn't in a very wealthy financial state, and your sister and mother are completely ridiculous, your friends are unpopular- except for Jane- and I will be the laughingstock of Meryton if I go out with you, but I can't help it. I've struggled too long, almost since we stayed with the Bingleys, to hold in my feelings for you."

Darcy then finally stopped pacing and turned to me, looking confident that I would say yes.

"Elizabeth, Lizzy, I love you so much it's going to kill me if I deny it any longer. I beg you to end my pain and agree to be my girlfriend."

Oh no. He couldn't say that. Anything but that. I had to end this. Now. Darcy might be in love with me, but I still hated him. I was extremely angry and insulted about what he said about me, my friends, and my family. I tried hard not to scream at him as I opened my mouth to refuse him.

"Darcy, I am flattered that you think so highly of me, compared to how terrible you think everyone I associate with is, and I am touched that someone could love me like you describe, while hating everything I represent."

I had been talking to the floor, but I finally looked up at him. He looked so confident, that I knew he didn't sense the irony of what I said. Although Darcy was one of the smartest people in our school, he didn't understand what it was like to fail with girls, I presumed. Well he would have to learn from me.

"I believe that in a case like this, the thing someone in my position should do is accept. But I can't and I won't."

Darcy's face changed immediately. It went from confused, to hurt, to just plain angry. I looked back at the ground, hoping he would leave. He just started pacing again, head bent down in frustration. When he looked back up, his face was bright red with anger and humiliation.

"I might wonder why you rejected me so cruelly, without even an explanation! But I guess you can be even more cruel and not even give me that."

I responded with equal fury, "And I might wonder why you so obviously wanted to offend and insult me while saying you love me. Why you decided to tell me that you liked me against your will. Against your judgement, and even against your character! You are such a jerk! You insulted my family. My friends. Practically everything about me! If that's what being in love involves, then I hope it never happens to me. And what you did to Wickham! You were so jealous of not being Daddy's favorite, weren't you."

Darcy turned even redder than before. "You seem to take an eager interest in his concerns!"

"How could anyone who knows what his misfortunes have been not take an interest in him!" I cried.

Darcy murmered to himself, "His misfortunes." Then yelled sarcastically, "Yes his misfortunes have been great indeed!"

"And all because of you! You were also the one who separated Jane and Charles. Do you admit it?"

He looked at me in surprise, and what looked like slight shame, but that expression was fleeting as he smirked in self-satisfaction. "I admit it! I did everything I could to separate our friends and I'm happy that I succeeded!"

I was furious. I had only suspected Darcy's involvement with them, but now I was sure. And I decided to tell him exactly how I felt.

"I hate you Fitzwilliam Darcy. You might love me, but I will NEVER love you. You can't even ask a girl out without insulting her and all she cares about! You are arrogant, conceited, and have a selfish disdain for the feelings of others. I had not known you a MONTH before I felt you were the LAST person in the world that I could EVER go out with."

He looked at me for a moment, and in that one glance I saw all his emotions. Confusion, hurt, but mostly anger for my injuring his blown up pride.

"Okay then," he said softly. "I'm sorry you think that way. Well, good luck with everything. Goodbye Elizabeth."

With that, he walked away. I sat down on a park bench, pulled Austen onto my lap, and cried.

**A/N: Rejection hurts. Isn't Darcy just the smoothest with words? REVIEW! AND VOTE ON MY NEW POLL!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: You guys must hate me. I hate me. Gosh, I've just been so busy with homework, volleyball, and life (Yes, a dork like me does actually have a social life) that I procrastinated away, even though this has been done for a while now. I'm SUPER DUPER SORRY. I also have gotten behind on Without The First Couple, so I'M SORRY to those awesome people who are reading it! (As you know if you have been following that one, Wickham is really getting to me. I know just what he's going to say and who he's going to say it to, but just not how to make him say it! Writers block is depressing.) I will also update this on Saturday, as I usually do, (HOPEFULLY with Without The First Couple, if I write the next chapter in time, that is) because I think I've missed the past 2 weeks of updating. But I am all caught up at school, so I should have more free time now. Anyways, REVIEW! Please!**

After I recovered from the shock of it all, I was able to think more clearly. Darcy's confession made some things make so much more sense, but others even more confusing. It certainly explained why he was always staring at me, and why he had been so attentive at Charles's beach house, but made me wonder why he always fought with me. I knew that it was equally my fault, but he seemed to go out of his way to provoke me! It also made his behavior concerning Jane and Charles more confusing than it had been when Fitz first told me. I was unable to grasp why he thought that Charles was too good for Jane, but he could go out with me. I knew that there was an even larger gap between Darcy and I than Jane and Charles, because why would Will Darcy want to go out with Elizabeth Bennet? I knew that would have been the hot topic of Meryton if I had said yes.

Like I had told him, even though he claimed to love me, I still hated him. He was rude, arrogant, proud, and recently turned out to be scheming. I honestly had a hard time believing that he would be that cruel to Wickham, but it must have been true, because of the truth in Wickham's countenance when he told the story. But I could easily imagine him doing that to our friends. He thought it would ruin his precious reputation if he and his best friend were seen hanging around with the likes of us. Darcy evidently thought that he should be able to get what he wanted, even if Charles couldn't.

I walked home in a daze, needing Austen to practically pull me the whole way. My thoughts were full of Darcy. My mind was like this; _How can he love me? Why is he so proud? Why was he so terrible to Jane and Charles? How can he love me? Does he really love me? _Then;_ Get ahold of yourself Elizabeth! Don't let him get to you! You are Elizabeth Bennet, not some lovesick school girl. Get Darcy out of your head!_

The whole situation was painful for me. As hard as I tried to think of something else, (_History class, Charlotte and Collin, Austen needs more food, walks in the park, meeting Darcy in the park, Darcy- NO Elizabeth. Not Darcy. Butterflies, Mrs. de Bourgh, English, Fitz and Darcy, Darcy... NO! Not Darcy!_) the only thing I could think of was the forbidden topic of Darcy. I thought of his pride, arrogance, supposed love for me, treatment of Charles, Wickham, and Jane, the scowl that was continually on his face, how he seemed to have absolutely no remorse for separating Charles and Jane, the way when I rejected him he was just angry, and the rare times that he smiled at me. I thought about how if I had a chance to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. I went to bed with only thoughts of Darcy.

I got up the next morning at 5:30, because I had been unable to sleep. I had strange dreams about Darcy, I didn't remember what exactly they were about, only that they contained him. I took a shower, got on some running clothes, put Austen on her leash, and ran out to Rosings Park. When I got to the garden archway I remembered constantly meeting Darcy there, took a different pathway to Hunsford Park. It was smaller than Rosings, and not as beautiful, but was nice in its own way, and would be fine for my morning walk. After an hour of walking and jogging with Austen, I felt relieved from all the stress of the past days. Suddenly Austen jerked me ahead, and took off running. As I turned a corner, I couldn't help having a sense of dreaded déjà vu from the last time Austen dragged me around a corner, but I didn't have time to dwell on it when I ran into someone and fell to the ground. I felt the person land on top of me with an "Oof!" from him and a "HEY!" from me.

I heard a voice say, "Are you okay?" And I looked up into a familiar pair of brown eyes. I felt the dread settle in as I looked at who I had ran into. He looked at me and gulped. "Hullo Lizzy."

What I really wanted to do was completely ignore him and his perfect eyes, but that was hard when he was on top of me, so I decided a simple acknowledgement would do.

"Darcy." He just stared at me for moment, so I said, "Can I get up?" I think he sensed the impatience in my tone as he quickly recollected himself and jumped off of me. He offered me a hand to help me up, but I ignored it and got up myself.

"Thanks, but no thanks," I said. Darcy looked slightly offended and sheepish, but then shook it off.

"Look Elizabeth I know you don't want to talk to me but I really need to give you something," He said.

I eyed him suspiciously, and said "Okay..."

Darcy let out a breath, as if he feared I would slap him and run away with his dog or something. He picked an envelope up off the ground where I assumed he had dropped it in our little mishap.

"Would you please read this letter?" Darcy asked hopefully.

I just nodded, having no idea what was in the letter, unless it was a repeat of yesterday's conversation.

"Thanks," he said, and then picked up Mister's leash.

"Well, see you Lizzy. Have a nice spring break."

I nodded again, not wanting to talk to him. Unlike Collin, Darcy knew how to take a hint, so he left. I sat down on a bench with Austen's head on my lap and began to read the hand- written paper.

**Dear Elizabeth,**

**I know that after our argument yesterday that was a result of me asking you out, you probably don't want to talk to me again, and don't worry, I won't make the same mistake twice. But I must have a chance to clear myself of the charges that you held against me. Before I begin I would just like to say that I'm sorry I offended you with my offer, as that was by no means what I meant to do. I just wanted to tell you that you are a great girl who I care for a lot, and that the pain this letter might give you is necessary, because you deserve to know the truth. The two things you said I allegedly did were treat George Wickham badly, and separate Jane Netherfield and Charles Bingley. I will begin with Wickham, because that story is the longest and most painful to me.**

**When I lived in Derbyshire George Wickham and I used to be great friends, the best friends even. We thought we would be cool if we called each other by our last names. His family lived by ours before my father's restaurant, Pemberley, became successful here and in Britain. They moved into our neighborhood in Derbyshire when I was nine, and George helped me and my sister, Georgiana, get through a hard time that involved my mother's early death when I was fourteen. We spend every day together, up until about two years ago, when I was sixteen and he was seventeen. I didn't like some of the things he would do with his other friends, so I started distancing myself from him. He would spend a lot of his time partying, drinking, and shoplifting. Eventually, he applied for a job at Pemberley. My father was thrilled to have someone who he regarded like a nephew working with him, but I wasn't as sure it was a good idea as Dad seemed to think. But since Wickham was still my friend, I pretended to be as enthusiastic about it as he was. The job went well for about two months, until Wickham messed up.**

**I had been coming in late to talk to my father, when I saw Wickham at the counter. He was stealing cash from the register. I lost all my trust in him that night, and spent the next day trying to decide what to do. After you have been following someone around all your life, and considering them a role model, it's hard to do something that would get the person in trouble. Eventually I decided to tell my father, and let him decide what to do. It took a little persuading, but after I showed him the security footage, my father decided to fire Wickham. We couldn't have someone that untrustworthy working at Pemberley. Wickham was fired, but we didn't press charges since he was a good friend, him and his father. Later Wickham was found guilty for some other crimes, nothing too major, but enough to get him expelled from school. He went to a different military school, and we then moved away to a new house.**

**Now I have to come to the part that's painful for me. My sister, Georgie, is thirteen, in eighth grade. She is the sweetest girl in the universe, and I think we are closer than most siblings with our age difference are. But she's also painfully shy, and the only people she will really open up to are me and my cousin Fitz. She has some girl friends at school, but I know she doesn't have any super close friends. Wickham and Georgie had always been close, Wickham being almost a brother to both of us. Well after Wickham got fired he was gone for a while at his military boarding school. But he got kicked out there too, and came back to Derbyshire. He was able to manipulate Georgiana, telling her that it had all been a misunderstanding, and that they were even closer than brother and sister. He got her to give him our restaurant and house security codes, which he then used to break into our house and restaurant. Wickham took Georgiana with him and tried to kidnap her. Luckily Fitz and I saw him leaving the house, Georgiana in tow. We were able to take him down and get her to safety before taking Wickham to jail. We pressed charges and Wickham was prosecuted before a full criminal trial. His sentence was a year and a half in juvenile prison. He got out and moved to London, and that was the last I heard of him. His father died when Wickham was in prison, and so he inherited enough money to rent an apartment, I presume. For me to see him in Meryton was a shock.**

**That is the whole story of my history with Wickham, and if you don't believe me, just ask Fitz. He knows everything about what I just told you, and I'm sure you trust him.**

**Now for Jane and Charles. Before I begin, I should say that besides Fitz, Charles is my best friend in the world, and I couldn't possibly let him ever get hurt. I wanted to get away from everything in Derbyshire, so the Bingley's let me stay here with them, which really means a lot to me. When we got into Meryton, I could easily tell that Charles liked your friend a lot. But it wasn't until his party that I guessed the depth of his feelings for Jane. I could tell that he thought he was in love with her. I could also see that although she enjoyed all the attention she was getting from him, and seemed to like him genuinely, she didn't appear to have any deeper feelings for him like he had for her. I didn't want Charlie to get hurt like I knew he would in an unequal relationship, so I talked to Caroline who also didn't want Charles to date Jane, though for different reasons, mainly being that she wanted me to stay away from you. We convinced Charles that Jane didn't care for him at all, and he lost hope. Caroline then hacked into Charles' email account and sent the email to Jane saying he didn't care about her and to stay away, and an email from Jane to Charles saying that she didn't care about him. I didn't find this out until later, and I was furious with Caroline when I did. The only thing that I feel guilty about in this whole business is not telling Charles about what Caroline did. I'm sorry if I caused pain to Jane, but I believe it was for the best and have no other apologies to offer.**

**I hope that after reading this you will be able to see me in an at least tolerable light. I really do think that you will do great at everything you try to accomplish in life, and only have to add God bless you.**

**Sincerely,**

**Fitzwilliam Darcy**

A/N: Have you ever wished that you would just have the last three words of Darcy's letter? I am suddenly wishing I did… Anyways. I want to see if we can get up to sixty reviews. You guys are capable, I know you can! And guess what. Funny reviews are awesome! I am having a mini contest to see who has the funniest review until NEXT Saturday. Just for fun, and bragging rights. No real prize. Don't you guys love reading other people's funny reviews? This story is over halfway over, by the way. HANG IN THERE PEOPLE! (The epilogue is awesome, if I do say so myself.) REVIEW! FUNNILY!


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I can't own Pride and Prejudice, because I am Elizabeth Bennet in disguise. Duh.**

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><p>I stared at the paper in front of me. It couldn't be true. This had to be a complete and total lie! Darcy was a jerk enough to invent a whole story about Wickham. I hastily put the letter away and started walking back to my house in a hurry, determined not to give the letter a second thought. The resolution was more easily made then kept however, as about thirty seconds after I left the bench with the letter, I turned around, sat down again, and opened it back up to read it again. I read it again and again and again. If this was true, not only was Wickham untrustworthy, but he was dangerous too! I thought about who I should believe. From what I knew of Darcy, he was proud, disagreeable, rude, not good around strangers, but he had never done anything that made him seem immoral or unethical like Wickham had said. Darcy was rude, but had never really done anything mean to anyone, not me, or Collin, or Caroline, who had all annoyed him. He was also proud, which would make him think too highly of himself to be underhanded like that. He seemed to respect his family, and by the way Fitz and Darcy had spoken of the siblings relationship, was devoted to his sister. I compared this to what I knew of Wickham.<p>

What did I know about Wickham? When I really thought about it, I didn't know much about his personality at all. He put people at ease, was charming, fun to talk to, and good looking, but what did that really say about his character? He had never really said why he left school, only that Darcy's presence there made it hard for him. I could hardly imagine Darcy as the bullying type. I tried and tried to think of something good about Wickham, something he had done that was kind and just. But all I could think of was how after I barely knew him, he told me his whole "life story", which included bad things about Darcy. Now that I was thinking straight, why did I listen to him? He was almost a complete stranger, yet I had hung onto every word he said. How could I have believed him? But almost as soon as I asked myself the question, I had an answer. I had been because Darcy offended my pride that night at Meryton's. By him saying I wasn't pretty enough to dance with, I decided to dislike him. I would believe everything bad about him, and nothing good, because I didn't want to justify his statement. I had never really hated him, I had never really even tried to get to know him. Thinking about all this, I realized that I was even more proud and vain than he was!

Even when I had basically asked him what was going on between the two of them, Darcy wouldn't say anything bad about Wickham. He refused to badmouth his childhood friend, even after all that Wickham had done to him. I felt awful. I had misjudged everyone. Wickham, Darcy, even myself! I had used to consider myself a good judge of character, able to spot someone's faults and defects in an instant. I was too proud to admit that first impressions could be wrong sometimes. I was wrong about Wickham. I had trusted a scoundrel, a criminal, a con artist! During that whole conversation about Darcy, I bet he was just thinking, "This is too easy.". I couldn't believe I had fallen for his lowly tricks. But mostly, I had been wrong about Darcy.

I had thought he was vile and cruel just because he didn't want to dance with me. Darcy had always been polite, if not a little reserved, expect for when I purposely riled him up. I would go out of my way to irritate him, and he would try to remain unaffected, but fail. I realized now that when he didn't like talking to people much, or socializing in general, he might just of been shy. A shy Fitzwilliam Darcy. The thought was almost funny, no matter how true it might be. But I knew it was true. He was proud, yes he was very proud. But he had lots of things to be proud of. Darcy was smart, good looking, wealthy, had a sweet little sister (from what I heard), his friends were great, and he was generally nice to people. He would even put up with Collins babbling without completely making fun of him to his face, like other people in our grade did. Now that I thought about it, Darcy had a right to be proud, even though he overdid it a bit. He had taken responsibility for his sister because he knew she wouldn't be happy with anyone else. Darcy probably had a fantastic personality, but was too shy to show it! And I was too proud to discover it. I felt like such a fool. What had I done? Even realizing all this didn't make me change my decision for an instant, but it did make me wish I had been nicer when rejecting him. It took a lot of guts to tell somebody you loved them, let alone ask them out. That just led me to think of Charles and Jane.

Darcy had made a mistake. A big mistake. Though I realized it was mostly Caroline's fault, Darcy had played a part in the deceiving too. I understood now that he was only trying to protect Charles from getting hurt, because he didn't know Jane as well as I did to recognize that she had strong feelings for Charles. Jane was shy, and that sometimes led her to not show her emotions. Although I had easily recognized Jane's feelings, other people might have not. How could Darcy know if Jane liked Charles or not? If the situation of our friends had been reversed, if it was Charles' feelings that were in question, I couldn't help but think I would have done the same thing, if not less deviously. But no matter how justified Darcy's involvement was, it was still wrong to lie to Charles. He could of at least told Charles to take it more slowly and find out exactly what Jane's emotions and intentions were. Also the only thing he had apologized for was lying, but didn't say he was going to tell the truth. I couldn't forgive him for what he had put Jane through, or Charles for that matter. If he was so easily influenced to give Jane up, how did that prove that he even liked her at all? All three of them, Charles Darcy and Caroline, had hurt my friend, and it wasn't okay.

After I sorted out my feelings, I realized I had been gone for almost an hour. I went home and showered, getting ready for the last day at school until spring break. I wasn't sure if I was ready for today or not. I was really excited because I was getting a chance to go to Derbyshire with my Aunt Madeline and Uncle Edward Gardiner. My uncle's business involved shipping throughout Europe, and he and my aunt were able to go on a vacation this year to Derbyshire, since my uncle's company had arranged a free trip for 3. Their children were all too young to go, so they took me. I was excited to see Derbyshire, but also to spend time with my aunt and uncle. Me and my Aunt Maddie got along very well, and she was like a second mother to me, considering the lack of attention I got from my own. But when I thought of Derbyshire I couldn't help think of Darcy. He used to live in one of the two-hundred year old mansions, from what I learned through conversing with him and Fitz.

I got to school with twenty minutes to spare. I was nervous because I knew that today I would have to see Darcy. He hadn't come to school yesterday after he asked me out, and I was afraid he would be back today. But when I walked into English, Fitz and I were alone at our usual table. I let out a sigh of relief, earning me a strange look from Fitz.

"I thought I would be late," I lamely replied. He looked suspicious for a moment, but decided to let it pass as he joked, "Elizabeth Bennet, late for class? It's unheard of!"

I laughed half-heartedly, but Fitz being Fitz, was perceptive enough to notice.

"Lizzy is something wrong?" He asked. I knew that he was genuinely concerned, and for moment considered asking him about Wickham and Darcy, but then realized how awkward that would be. ('Hey Fitz, your cousin Darcy asked me out and I said I hated his guts. Was he really an evil intricate to Wickham or did Wickham take advantage of your cousin Georgiana?') No, I would have to just trust Darcy. For some reason, I already did.

"No just a headache," I lied.

The rest of the day went by like that. I would zone out, people would ask what was wrong, I would consider pouring my heart out to them and humiliating Darcy and I in the process, decide against it, and say I had a headache. It was an annoying cycle. I only told Jane what was happening, everything except for what went on between Darcy, Caroline, Charles and her, and she replied with concern for Darcy, Wickham, Georgiana and me. I didn't really listen to what she said, or how I replied. I decided not to tell Charlotte, because she would probably just scold me for rejecting such a hot guy who liked me. I said goodbye to all my friends, even Charles. He came up to me and said, "Hope you have a nice holiday Elizabeth."

I smiled genuinely and said, "You too Charles."

At the end of the day I got home to find my mother packing my bag.

"Mom! What are you doing? I'm not six, I can pack my own bag," I said worriedly. I was afraid that she would find the letter from Darcy, and freak out because I rejected him.

She poked her head out of my closet. "Lizzy! I'm just picking some of the nicer things out for you. Edward said that you were all invited to a business dinner, so you need a nice dress. I packed two others for you, because someone at the dinner is sure to invite you to a party or ball or something. Oh imagine if you met a rich boy! Derbyshire seems to have good looking rich boys, like Will Darcy and that Charles fellow. Oh this will be such a great opportunity for you to meet men Elizabeth!"

I hardly paid attention to my mother's rambling, as Lydia learned long ago how to zone it out.

"That's great Mom," I said.

I saw my letter sitting on a shelf in the closet, and made a quick grab for it before my mom could see it.

"Elizabeth, what is that?" She asked curiously.

I blushed and said too quickly, "Nothing."

She narrowed her eyes. "Elizabeth Caroline Bennet, give it to me. NOW!"

My mother could be intimidating at times, so I reluctantly showed her the envelope. The front of it said, **To Elizabeth, From Darcy.** It had been crinkled up by my constantly pulling out the paper inside it this morning.

"OOH!" My mother squealed. She surprisingly made no attempt to take it from me, so I quickly brought it back.

"Mom it's not what you think-" I started, but she interrupted me mid-sentence.

"YOU ARE GOING OUT WITH WILL DARCY? WHY DIDN"T YOU TELL ME!" She screamed.

"MOM! Quiet down or Lydia will hear you!" But it was too late.

Lydia burst into the room. "Lizzy's going out with the hottie who dumped her again? No fair," She whined.

My mother started dancing around. "My Elizabeth is going to be so rich!"

This was like when they first met Darcy all over again, except this time I was going to do something about it.

"WILL YOU TWO BE QUIET FOR MOMENT SO I CAN EXPLAIN?" I bellowed.

The both stopped and froze, looking at me. Lydia looked excited though.

"Yes tell us how he asked you again Lizzy! Was it during one of the times you were with him at the park where he asked you out?" She asked.

How the heck did Lydia know about our walks? "How did you know about our walks?" I repeated my thoughts suspiciously.

She stuck her chin out. "I saw you guys when I was with Kitty once. We started following you every morning."

Good, so they hadn't seen him ask me out in the afternoon. I would never of been able to live that down from either of them!

"No, Darcy and I are just friends, and it's always been like that. He was just giving me some extra homework."

They both looked disappointed and immediately turned bored.

"Whatever," Lydia said as she left.

I took to re-reading my new favorite letter, and started memorizing it.

**I could also see that although she enjoyed all the attention she was getting from him, and seemed to like him genuinely, she didn't appear to have any deeper feelings for him like he had for her. I didn't want Charlie to get hurt like I knew he would in an unequal relationship, so I talked to Caroline who also didn't want Charles to date Jane, though for different reasons, mainly being that she wanted me to stay away from you. **

That sounded so much like Caroline, it made me laugh. I wondered how Darcy had figured that out? Well, she wasn't exactly subtle... And he was pretty smart. I imagined Caroline's reaction to if I had accepted him. She would freak out so much-

"AHA!" My mother randomly shrieked, making me jump from re-reading the letter and interrupting my thoughts.

"What's wrong?" I asked worriedly. My mother just came out of my closet, grinning.

"I picked out your dresses! You will wear the green one that Jane and Charlotte got you to the dinner, and the cream one you can wear at another party or something. I also packed your favorite sundress."

Though my mother had her failings, she had a great taste in fashion, and she had gotten me most of my favorite clothes, including a baby blue sundress.

"Thanks Mom," I said, giving her a hug, my letter behind my back. After she left I opened back up to my favorite part.

**I really do think that you will do great at everything you try to accomplish in life, and only have to add God bless you.**

**Sincerely,**

**Fitzwilliam Darcy**

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><p><strong>AN: Did you like? Not like? That's okay too. Well, please review! And, well, yeah. Review.**


	15. Chapter 15

The next day I said goodbyes to my family, mainly my father ("I don't know how I will stand being here without you Elizabeth. There won't be a word of sense spoken all week without you here."). I was jumpy and excited the whole train ride to Derbyshire, partially because I had never rode an overnight train before by myself. The last time I had been on one was when we went to London for a week, and I had to share a compartment with Lydia who snored. I was excited to meet my aunt and uncle at the Derbyshire station.

I spent the majority of the ride reading my novel and my letter. I had it fully memorized by the time it turned dark, and I fell asleep on the bunk. I had another dream about Darcy and Wickham, that I didn't remember as I woke up. I got dressed and redid my makeup and hair, then waited patiently for my stop to come while thinking of my letter.

**I'm sorry I offended you with my offer, as that was by no means what I meant to do. I just wanted to tell you that you are a great girl who I care for a lot.**

When we stopped in the city of Lambton, I couldn't help but notice a familiar looking red Ferrari go by, but it was unlikely that it was the same one that had brought me home from the Bingley's house. Or so I hoped. My aunt and uncle and I said hellos and then went to check into our hotel rooms, them sharing a suite and me with my own normal sized room. I loved it. The three of us went down to the hotel's coffee shop, and they got coffee while I went for a classic hot chocolate.

"So Elizabeth" began my Aunt Maddie, "How is all the family doing? Your parents and Lydia?"

"Mom and Dad are doing great, Mom just got her hair dyed blonde and she loves it. Lydia has definitely grown up a lot since you saw her a few months ago, though she acts exactly the same. We're almost the same height now, I'm still a little taller. Dad is doing great, he told me to tell you both that next time you're providing an escape from Meryton, to take him with you." We all laughed at my father's antics, and then my uncle started talking again.

"Elizabeth, we were invited to a business dinner of mine tonight at Pemberley, and I would be very happy if you would come."

I immediately tensed up at the mention of the Darcy's restaurant, but then criticized myself for being so silly. Darcy himself was probably still on vacation, and even if for some reason he was in town, I wouldn't see him. Yet I couldn't get the image of the red Ferrari out of my mind...

"Yes of course! Mom had me bring two party dresses because she was just hoping we would get invited somewhere fancy," I joked. My aunt and uncle laughed along with me, and then we all went to our rooms to get ready for the dinner.

I took my mother's advice and wore my olive green strapless knee-length dress with the silver flower on it. I curled my hair and put it half up half down, with a matching silver flower in it. I put on a little makeup, and my favorite silver heels.

Uncle Edward had said that the dinner was very fancy, as they were meeting with a variety of business owners, several being millionaires. I was kind of looking forward to it, as it would be a good experience, but there probably wouldn't be anyone for me to talk to, as there weren't supposed to be any people my age. None the less, I was excited, and I wanted to make a good impression on my uncle's associates, even if only a handful of them actually did business with his company.

I went back downstairs to see my aunt looking beautiful in a long periwinkle dress with a silver sash, and my uncle in a tuxedo.

"Elizabeth you look beautiful!" My aunt exclaimed.

"Not more than you Aunt Maddie!" She blushed, and said "Oh this is nothing too special, your uncle drags me to these things all the time," She joked.

My uncle chuckled. "True, after you have been to one of these all the others are exactly the same. Don't worry about being overdressed, all the other people there will dress even more extravagantly than this! And I would just like to say that I have two lovely ladies accompanying me tonight. Come Elizabeth, Madeline, we don't want to be late!"

When we got to the dinner, I quickly realized that my uncle hadn't been exaggerating when he said that the other people dressed expensively. I saw people in actual ball gowns with real diamond necklaces and thousand dollar suits. Pemberley itself was even more impressive than it's customers. There was a large fancy chandelier in the middle of the private dining room, and there was a mosaic on the ceiling with angels and clouds on it. The whole place was beautiful, and for once I was feeling completely intimidated. We took our seats at our assigned table, where three other people were supposed to sit with us, but weren't there yet.

My aunt and uncle talked to some other couples that they were friends with, and I was introduced to all of them. By that time I was very curious as to who was going to sit with us, as most of the other guests were already seated. About ten minutes before the dinner was going to start, a girl who looked about Lydia's age and a man who looked like he was probably her father sat down across from us. My uncle stood up and greeted the man.

"George! How good to see you again!" The man smiled and exchanged pleasantries with my uncle and aunt, and then turned to the girl. "This is my daughter, Georgiana."

My heart stopped beating for a moment. Georgiana wasn't a very common name. But it couldn't be her. And even if it was, her brother didn't seem to be here.

"Georgiana, your father has told us so much about you! Elizabeth, this is my friend George Darcy and his daughter Georgiana. George, Georgiana, this is my niece Elizabeth Bennet."

So it was the Darcys. I felt my face getting very hot, and almost made an excuse to leave, but Will wasn't here, so I decided to stick it out, but I still wasn't sure if I would be able to last throughout this dinner.

"It's nice to meet you, Elizabeth, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. Elizabeth, Will has told me so much about you." That was the first thing Georgiana had said at all, and I took my mind away from my worried thoughts, and looked at her more closely. She was a very pretty girl, with brown hair like her brother, but while his eyes were brown, hers were hazel. I could instantly tell she was shy like Fitz and Darcy had told me, and took pity on her.

"It's very nice to meet you too Georgiana. Your brother, cousin, and aunt have all told me so much about you." She blushed and said a small "Thank you," and then sat down.

Mr. Darcy started speaking again to Georgiana. "Georgie, where did Will go? He was just here a moment ago."

So Darcy was here. My worst fears came true. What was I supposed to say? Should I apologize? Ignore him? Pretend it never happened? How would he act?

But I didn't have any time to compose myself before Darcy came over and sat down between Georgiana and I. I don't think he had realized who I was, as he didn't look at me.

"Will! There you are! Let me introduce you to my friends Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, and their niece Elizabeth."

Darcy turned to my aunt and uncle and said hello's, and then looked at me. Both of our faces turned bright red, and he looked so shocked that I didn't think he would ever recover. His mouth literally dropped open, and I couldn't tear my humiliated face away from his nervous one. I didn't think that Darcy would be able to speak, so I spoke extremely softly, "Hi again."

He just sat there, staring at me. I assumed he was still in shock. The other residents of the table had taken up a conversation again, except for Georgiana, who was watching me and Darcy curiously.

Darcy opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. He did that several times before he was able to speak, and stammered, "Um, uh, hi Elizabeth. I, uh, excuse me."

He then got up and walked towards the exit, where through the window I could see him pacing back and forth. I didn't blame him. It was difficult for me to see him as well, and I knew he would need a moment to compose himself. My face was still redder than a tomato, and I couldn't believe he was here. What must he think of me? I broke his heart and ripped it up into pieces, then when I see him again all I say is, "Hi again." What was I thinking? I was about to tell my aunt and uncle that I was sick and would take a taxi back to the hotel, when Darcy came back in. He sat back down, and to my surprise, turned to me.

"Hi, sorry about that, I needed some fresh air for a moment." He then smiled rather awkwardly, and I gave him a small smile in return.

"So, um," I started as he said "Well, uh"

We both blushed and laughed a little, then Darcy said, "Sorry, you go first."

I turned ever redder and then said, "I was just going to ask how you've been doing, since you were gone Friday."

"Oh, yeah about that," He turned even redder than he had been before. "Well I wasn't feeling too well after, uh, well, you know."

I had never blushed this much in my life, nor had I ever been so uncomfortable.

"Oh, well about that, um, well, I'm sorry, about what I said, and, um, I believe you." That was one of the hardest sentences I ever had to utter, but it was worth it. Darcy's face lit up like a child on Christmas, and he smiled the biggest smile I had ever seen from him. His grin was contagious, and soon I started smiling too.

"Good," he said. We both turned red again and looked away, when he sheepishly said, "How about we just forget about... um... that."

I smiled at him genuinely and said, "I'd like that."

We eventually drifted into more comfortable conversation, and I found him to be very fun to talk to. I could tell he was embarrassed, I was too, but he was so much less stuck up then when I saw him last, that the people from Meryton who didn't like him wouldn't recognize him as Darcy. He was being very friendly, polite, charming, and not acting like he was better than me. I realized what I had been missing before in not trying to befriend him. Georgiana soon left the table to go talk to her friend Alison, and I saw them pointing at us and giggling. I didn't care. Darcy and I had a very fun evening together laughing and just talking. He told me about how he locked Fitz in a closet once for a whole day, and I told him how I got stuck in the washing machine during a game of hide-and-seek. When the dinner came to an end I wished I could stay longer, as I was having a good time with my friend. When I thought that, I surprised myself, but was happy Darcy was my friend, not my enemy. It made me feel good.

"Elizabeth, it's time to go," called my Aunt Maddie. My face was disappointed, and she laughed and said "Don't worry you'll get to talk to your friend again tomorrow. George invited us all a picnic at the Darcy's house tomorrow."

I grinned at Darcy, who looked as happy as I felt. "Great!" He exclaimed. "That way you'll get to talk to Georgie more when she's not being whisked away by her friends."

I giggled at that, and said goodbyes to everyone before we left. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.

**A/N: Guess who's back? DARCY! WOOT WOOT! The universe is at rest once more. Anyhow, this is almost over! Seven chapters and an epilogue left! (Actually, it might be eight, I realized I left our favorite English teacher out…) In case you aren't following Without The First Couple, I have started this thing! I don't know what to call it, because it's not really a contest… ANYWAYS. The 26****th**** of November, as we all know, is in 27 days! And the 26****th**** of November happens to be the day of the Netherfield Ball, and is pretty much the only mentioned date of any significance in Pride and Prejudice! SO! We should all write one shots for it! My rules: Must be one, two, or three shot. Must be at the Netherfield Ball. Must include the epic characters. (Their names don't even have to be mentioned, it just has to be obvious to us who the narrator is talking about.) And it must be posted on the 26****th**** of November! I don't remember if there's another one… If you plan on participating in it, review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I'm back! SO SORRY, I haven't updated anything in FOREVER! Life has been busy. All my extracurricular stuff seemed to be on a high last week, and I had projects, tests, and insane amounts of homework in every class! I have been getting 6 ½ hours of sleep every night for the past three weeks, and it has seriously taken its toll on my mood, smartness, and writing abilities. I am not very happy with how this chapter turned out. I feel like it had no real depth. Hm. Oh well! Since you've been waiting SO LONG for this chapter, I'll let you read it now. REVIEW AND GET A MR. DARCY CLONE! (Yes, that offer still stands.)**

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><p>The next day I was excited and nervous. I was definitely nervous, because I was afraid that Darcy's behavior yesterday had been a fluke. I didn't want him to become the reserved, unsociable person he once was, but I wanted him to act like the person he really was, the person I had come to like. A lot. As I laid in bed, I thought about all of my and Darcy's relationship. I realized that I had been blinded by prejudice when I said I hated him. I was too proud to admit that the person who I had been trying to dislike was a nice guy. I refused to discover the good in him, and was too eager to see the bad. I felt terrible about what I had put him through, and was determined to give him another much deserved chance. I spent the morning in the hotel room watching television and before I knew it, it was time to get ready for the picnic.<p>

I found myself taking much more care of my appearance then usual. I put on my blue sundress and light makeup. I kept fixing my hair, deciding I didn't like it, and then doing it again. When I caught myself wondering if Darcy would think I was pretty, I scolded myself. _Elizabeth, you don't care what Darcy thinks of you! He's just your friend. Just dress as if you were going to hang out with Fitz or Charles._ Yet despite the protests of my inner monologue, I was making sure I would look perfect. I realized that I had been getting ready for an hour! I ran downstairs where my aunt and uncle were waiting.

"Sorry I took so long!" I said apologetically.

My aunt and uncle shared a knowing look which made me wonder if they had been talking about me.

"That's perfectly fine, dear." said my aunt with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "We understand that you want to dress to impress."

I turned beet red (I realized I had been doing a lot of that lately, especially when I was around Darcy) and tried to protest, but my aunt just laughed, grabbed my arm gently and whispered, "It's okay Lizzy. All teenage girls have crushes once in a while. Besides, he obviously likes you too." She winked at me as we all got into the car.

My face by then would probably put a tomato to shame, but her comment caused me to think. Darcy couldn't possibly still like me. After what I had said to him? No, I was certain that any feelings he still had for me were just as a friend. For some reason, the thought made me a little sad, but I chose to ignore that feeling and focus on the fun day ahead of me.

Darcy had said that he wanted me to get to know Georgiana better, and I was looking forward to it as well. She seemed like a nice girl, but she only needed help coming out of her shell. I hardly realized that we were at the Darcy's until my aunt gasped. I looked out the window, wondering what was so spectacular, when I gasped too. The house was a mansion. It looked like something out of a book or movie. There was a huge pond by it, and large trees surrounding the whole area. The woods went on for about ten more minutes when finally we pulled up into the drive. The house was even more amazing up close. There was an actual iron gate at the front of the drive, and a fountain in the middle. The whole landscaping looked natural, and I loved it. I estimated that the house must of cost a few million dollars, but the price didn't matter to me. We got out of the car and a butler, an actual butler, came and opened the door for us.

Mr. Darcy came down the staircase and greeted us, and while he was talking to my uncle and aunt, I looked around at the house, which was different than I expected. There was a large chandelier, like at Pemberley, but it was more homey than I had thought it would be. There were pictures of Darcy and Georgiana from when they were babies up until now. I recognized Mr. Darcy in some of them, and a lot of them had a beautiful woman whom I didn't recognize, but who I quickly realized was Anne Darcy. She looked a lot like Georgiana, and also reminded me of Darcy.

But I was only able to take in the photographs for a moment when a large black lab rounded a corner and came racing towards me, with two people running behind it.

"MISTER!" Darcy and Georgiana bellowed. Mister ran up to me and jumped, knocking me to the ground. Luckily I landed on the soft rug, instead of the marble floor. Mister licked my face and I petted his head, laughing. "Hi there Mister!" I cooed.

Georgiana and Darcy caught up with their dog and I could see they were panting, so I assumed they had been chasing Mister since we rang the doorbell. Georgiana grabbed Mister and Darcy held out a hand to help me up that I gladly accepted. I couldn't help but remember other situations that were almost exactly like this. When they could see that I was laughing, they joined in too.

After our wild laughter died down, we realized that Mr. Darcy and the Gardiners had already gone outside. Our trio headed out, following them. Georgiana ran ahead with Mister, leaving me and Darcy to walk together. We made small talk and he seemed as friendly as yesterday, if not even more relaxed in jeans and a t-shirt at his home than he had been in a tuxedo at Pemberley. We had a nice meal, and I talked to Georgiana a lot more. She turned out to be a very interesting girl and we had lots of fun teasing Darcy, who took it much better than he had last time I tried to make fun of him good naturedly. When the meal was over Mr. Darcy invited us to stay with them for the rest of the day.

"I don't think that Will and Elizabeth can bear to be separated," Mr. Darcy joked.

His son and I blushed, and I spoke softly without looking at Darcy, "I guess he has a point."

I could see his face out of the corner of my eye and saw it light up, and he gently put his hand over mine and said, "Yeah, he does."

The others went over to go look at the pond, leaving Darcy and I alone on the picnic blanket. We talked some more as we sat next to each other, and he kept holding my hand. I was surprised at how much of an effect this had on me. It made me feel like I had butterflies in my stomach, and I couldn't figure out why. When the picnic was over around three, we all took the long walk back to the house, Darcy and I walking behind the rest with our fingers interlaced.

"Fitz, Charles, and Caroline Bingley are supposed to come over in about a half hour," he began. Darcy must of seen my worried look because he quickly added, "I invited Fitz and Charles who were both staying at the Bingleys, and Caroline assumed that the invitation was extended to her."

I laughed lightly at this, but really wasn't looking forward to it. I was glad I would get to see Fitz and Charles again, but not looking forward to seeing Caroline. I knew that she wouldn't let me have any time alone to talk with Darcy, although I had no idea why I wanted to be with him alone.

"Oh, I'll be glad to see Fitz and Charles again." I said. "And Caroline too of course." I added. We looked at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing.

The mood seemed lighter as we swung our hands together a little bit as we walked back to the house in a companionable silence. I hadn't realized how far behind we had been from the others until we got up to the door to have Georgiana open it.

"There you two are!" She exclaimed. "We were afraid you had gotten lost." She then looked at our hands which were still interlaced, and grinned mischievously. "Oh, I get it now Will." She said with a satisfied smirk on her face. Darcy and I blushed again and quickly dropped our hands.

Darcy suggested that we watch TV until the Fitz and Bingleys arrived. Somehow Darcy and I got put on the loveseat together. I had sat down there and he was going to sit by Georgiana on the sofa, when she said that she wanted to catch up with Fitz, Charles, and Caroline, and the couch only seated four. In my head I congratulated Georgiana on her matchmaking skills. She could put even my mother to shame.

We watched a funny sitcom, and I had barely realized that I was leaning on Darcy's side with my head on his shoulder, until he took my hand again. This time I looked at him, and at his unsure facial expression I smiled, reassuring him that it was okay with me. He just grinned and held my hand tighter. I felt my heart beat fast and I had no idea what was happening, only that I didn't want to move from the spot. Unfortunately I had to when Fitz, Charles, and Caroline walked in the room.

Charles and Fitz greeted Georgiana and then looked at me and Darcy with smirks identical to Georgiana's. I figured that they were all three in cahoots to get Darcy and I together, which I didn't mind as much as I thought I would. Caroline ignored Georgiana and looked at Darcy and I first with a frown, when she saw our position. We immediately sat up and reluctantly let go of each others hands to greet the guests.

Caroline put on a fake smile and squealed. "Will! I'm like so glad we're here! Oh my god your house is even huger than I remember!" she then ran over to him and gave him a hug, kissing him on the cheek. It made me feel uncomfortable and a hint of something else that I couldn't quite place, so I walked over to Fitz, Charles, and Georgiana.

Fitz, being the funny guy he was, bowed to me and kissed my hand lightly.

"How pleasant to see you again Miss Bennet." He joked.

I laughed along with Charles and Georgiana.

"You as well, Mr. Fitzwilliam."

Fitz mocked being affronted. "No indeed madam! For I am Colonel Fitzwilliam of Her Majesty's Royal Army!"

I chuckled. "My apologies, Colonel Fitzwilliam."

Charles and I said less dramatic hellos and I was quickly latched into conversation with him. He was just as friendly as I remember, but didn't seem as eager to talk. I triumphantly put this with missing Jane. To test my theory, I brought up that Jane was staying in Meyton for the week and was going to try and come to Derbyshire in the next few days. The effect was immediate, as Charles wouldn't stop talking and asking about her. I could of sworn I heard Fitz say under his breath sarcastically, "Good thing he wasn't too obvious."

Darcy and Caroline came back over, Darcy was looking extremely annoyed, and it wasn't hard to figure out why. To cheer up his solemn cousin, Fitz made a comment about how well I looked in my dress, and did Darcy notice too?

"But of course he did," Charles joked. "He hasn't taken his eyes off of her since we got here Fitz!"

This resulted in laughter from the two boys and Georgiana, and blushes from Darcy and myself. I smiled at Darcy, and he smiled back, so I could tell he didn't mind his cousin and friend's teasing. They were best friends, after all. Caroline just glared at Fitz, who shrugged in return.

While Charles, Fitz, and Darcy were talking, Caroline watching TV, I sat down and conversed with Georgiana.

"So Georgiana," I began, but she interrupted me.

"Elizabeth, please call me Georgie. Georgiana is too much of a mouthful!"

I laughed. "Certainly Georgie, but only if you call me Lizzy."

She giggled. "Perfect Lizzy! Ooh I'm so glad that you're going out with Will instead of Caroline! I don't know what I could do if he got stuck with her! Besides you two make the cutest couple I have ever seen!"

I felt my face burning yet again. Would it ever just stay its normal color? "Actually Georgie, Darcy, er, Will and I are just friends."

"Oh!" She exclaimed, her hand rushing to her mouth. "I'm so sorry! I just kind of assumed, because I saw you holding hands, and, well," she blushed again. "Well Will talks about you all the time, and," she closed her eyes and shook her head. "Can you please just pretend I didn't say anything stupid?"

I laughed and agreed, but couldn't help thinking about what she said. So Darcy talked about me a lot? The idea made me feel happy inside, but I chose to ignore that feeling.

After talking to Georgie some more the two of us sat down to play a duet on the piano. We sang the theme from Titanic, and the other people in the room were enthusiastic with their praises. After Charles dragged a reluctant Caroline over to finally talk to Georgie and Fitz, I made my way to Darcy who was beaming.

"That was fantastic Elizabeth," he praised.

I blushed, but for a different reason than all the other times I had in the past days. "Thanks, but I only did half of it. Georgie is really talented," I told him.

He nodded and smiled fondly at his sister. "Yeah, she's great. She's already giving piano lessons to younger kids. She's going to be fantastic when she's older, I hope as good as you."

I blushed again and said, "I bet she will accomplish much more than me. After all," I joked, "she's had a talented older brother to take after." Georgie had told me earlier at the picnic that Darcy also played the piano and could sing.

He groaned. "She told you that?" he asked meekly. I laughed at him. "Yes she did! I would really like to hear you play."

He appeared to think about it for a moment, and then grinned mischievously. "Well I can hardly play by myself, so of course you must do a duet with me."

I smiled at him. "If thats what I must do to get you to sing, then I guess I will."

We took our seats at the piano just as the adults returned from wherever they had been. The performance was actually very good, his deep bass voice contrasting beautifully with my high soprano one. Soon the song was over and we got a fair applause from everyone besides Caroline. We took mock bows, laughing the whole time. Darcy then leaned over and kissed me on the cheek, resulting in cat-calls and whistling from Fitz and Charles, an "Aw" from Georgiana, laughter from the grown-ups, and a scowl from Caroline. I didn't notice any of this though, because the tumult of my mind was too great to think anything but one thought. Darcy had kissed me. And I wanted him to do it again.

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><p><strong>AN: Enjoy? Not enjoy? Like I said, not my best work, but I'm too glad I'm done with it to change anything. Anyways, I'm not sure if you guys remember my 26****th**** of November one-shot thingie? I think it'd be cool if everyone writes a one-shot about the Netherfield Ball and posts it on the 26****th****. Since I've been stupid and haven't updated FOREVER, I will understand if it's too short notice. But I am preparing a one-shot, and anyone else who wants to "celebrate" with me is welcome! **

**Also, I just finished ANOTHER one-shot! It's called Fitzwilliam Darcy, The Insufferable. Check it out and REVIEW! **

**V****ery important message: REVIEW! (And HAPPY THANKSGIVING! For those of you who aren't American, it's where we all eat one hundred pounds of food in one helping. Or at least, the awesome people do. Basically, its lots and lots and lots of DELICIOUS food. And lots and lots and lots and LOTS of extended family that you don't know. But it's awesome, and it's on Thursday. SO CELEBRATE AND BRING ON THE TURKEY AND MASHED POTATOES!) And review. Still.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: REALLY SHORT CHAPTER ALERT! On the upside, I think that there's only like 5 or 6 chapters left! Yay! PS: I finally got to updating Without The First Couple! I hope everyone who's reading this is reading that too, because I am really happy with how that story has turned out so far! If you haven't seen it, check it out! I hope you guys like this chapter, I made some slight editing things, so it's better than it was. REVIEW! **

We didn't stay at the Darcys' house very much longer, only about an hour. I didn't think about the feelings Darcy's kiss on my cheek inspired in me, but decided I would later. We played a few card games, and then played a team Pictionary game. The teams were Darcy, Fitz, Georgiana, my aunt, and me against Charles, Caroline, my uncle, and Mr. Darcy. It was a fun game, with our team winning. (Fitz then felt the need to stand up on the table and point in Charles' face, yelling, "HA! WE WON! YOU OWE ME TEN BUCKS!" Charles then reluctantly handed over the money that we didn't know they had been betting.)

My aunt and uncle and I said goodbyes to the Darcys, the Bingleys, and Fitz, and when we were about to get in the car, Mr. Darcy approached us.

"Ed, Madeline, Elizabeth, thank you all so much for coming. I hope we will get to see you again tomorrow?" He asked.

We answered yes, and as we left I waved to Darcy out the window, who waved back. Overall, it had been a great day.

That night I lay in bed thinking about my feelings for Darcy. I definitely didn't hate him. No, hatred had gone long ago, and I doubted that it had even really existed in the first place. I was actually ashamed that I had ever disliked him, because of how much I liked him now. Where before he was cold, reserved, stuck-up, and rude, now he was friendly, nice, funny, enjoyable, and a good friend. I knew that I liked him, just how much did I like him?

When Darcy smiled at me I didn't want him to stop, when he held my hand I didn't want him to let go, and when he kissed me my stomach did flips that synchronized with my heart's fast pace. I tried to convince myself that it was normal, that that was how any teenage girl would react when a cute guy kissed her, even if it was only on the cheek. But somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew it wasn't true. Fitz was very cute, and he had kissed me on the cheek mockingly a few times, but I never felt any romantic feelings for him when he did. Was that because I knew it was in jest? No, Fitz was just my friend. It would be strange dating him, just as strange as dating Charles. So why did I feel that way for Darcy?

I finally had my answer. I liked Darcy. Not as a friend, but as something more. It was slightly alarming to me how fast my feelings developed, but when I thought about it, it wasn't that strange. I had felt an attraction to him at first, which I pretended didn't exist when he insulted me. After that I kept telling myself that I hated him, to hide the fact that he interested me like no one else did. Even when I claimed my dislike of him, I was always thinking about him. I knew that he wasn't the same as he had been last week even. He had changed for the better. Darcy had changed, and I was proud of him. I was proud that he was able to set aside his rotten pride, and become the good person that he had been all along. I really liked this new Darcy, and I realized that this personality wasn't new, it had been there the whole time. Fitz and Charles had seen it, but I chose not to. But I saw it now, and I liked this Darcy.

I went to sleep happy, and looking forward to the next day when I would get to see him again. I knew that if I wanted to, I could get him to ask me out again. And I definitely wanted him to ask me again. If I had realized what tomorrow would bring, I would of called Darcy right away and asked _him _out, but since I didn't have that luxury I just slept peacefully.

When I woke up and got dressed, I could see that my aunt and uncle were gone and it was already ten o'clock. I spotted a note on the kitchenette table, and I picked it up to read it.

**Lizzy-**

**Your uncle and I went out to do some souvenir shopping for your cousins. We should be back around eleven. Will Darcy is going to stop by sometime and tell us the plan for today. If he comes while we're gone, make sure you let him in.**

**Love, M Gardiner**

I felt a rush of excitement at the news that Darcy was going to come over. Now that I realized I had a crush on him, I wasn't sure how to act. I decided to be myself, and somehow let him know that asking me out a second time would not be unwelcome.

I was about to go run to my room and put on something nicer, when my cell phone rang. The caller ID said it was my dad's cell phone. I picked it up eagerly, hoping it was my father, and said "Hello?"

My father's voice appeared on the end of the line and said wearily, "Elizabeth, check your email. Read the one from Jane," Then he hung up. I was a little bit frightened by the phone call, because usually my father would stop to talk to me for about a half hour. I ran to the bedroom and brought my laptop out to the sofa, and opened up an email from Jane marked Important.

**Lizzy-**

**How has your trip been so far? I hope you and your uncle and aunt have had a nice time. Lizzy, I don't want to scare you, but I have some bad news. It's Lydia. **-I gasped, wondering what could of happened to my little sister.-** We got a call from your house around eleven last night. We were all still awake, and I answered my phone. It was your father, asking if any of us had seen Lydia. None of us had, so my Dad offered to help look for her, and my mother, Mary and I went over to find out what happened. Kitty Forester was there, and she said that Lydia had been sleeping over at her house on Saturday. When Kitty woke up, Lydia was gone. She left a note saying that she had run away with someone, and not to go looking for her because she was better off without all of your family. Elizabeth, I don't know how to say this, but Lydia ran off with none other than George Wickham!**

By now I had tears cascading down my face. Lydia was gone? With Wickham? I had never been close to my sister but I still loved her, and was filled with worry. What if she was hurt? Or if we never found her? I didn't want anything to happen to Lydia, because no matter how annoying she got, she didn't deserve that fate. I read on, hoping that there would be something saying that they found her.

**The note was short, and seemed to of been written in a hurry, but we were able to see quite clearly that Lydia and Wickham were going to London, where our fathers have already left for. We alerted the authorities, who said that they couldn't legally do anything until tonight, when the 48 hours that classified her as missing would be up. We had some of your other co-workers who were friends with Wickham, Carter and Denny, help us search for a while. Denny said that Wickham had done this before, ran off with girls and left them somewhere before he moved on to a new place. He had always been able to bail out of jail before. Lizzy, I'm so sorry to disrupt your vacation, but your father asked me to tell you that your presence is needed at home, and he could use your uncle's help searching for her in London. Again I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but your father had already left and your mother was in no condition to write. I hope this email doesn't see you worse than we are.**

**-Jane**

I was sobbing, hardly able to control myself. I ran to the door and threw it open, right into a confused Darcy's face.

"Hi Lizzy!" he said cheerfully. I looked up, and his smile disappeared when he saw my puffy, red, tear-struck, distraught face.

"Elizabeth, what's wrong?" He asked, concerned.

I was so upset that I flung myself at him, sobbing onto his shoulder. He just stood there for a moment, undoubtedly confused, but then cautiously put his arms around me and hugged me.

"Shh, it's okay. It's gonna be okay Lizzy." I just kept crying, and when I finally realized that we were in the middle of the hallway, I let go of him and walked inside, sitting down on the sofa. Darcy didn't seem to know what was going on, but he came inside and shut the door. I kept crying on the couch, so he came over slowly and sat down next to me, and held me close. My senses weren't working properly, and I cried in his arms for another fifteen minutes, him trying to reassure me that it would be okay, but not really having any clue about what was going on.

After I settled down I sat up straight, and told him "I have to go get my aunt and uncle."

He looked confused, then turned strict. "No, you can't go. Let me call them, you aren't well enough to talk."

I showed him the number and he called my aunt's cell phone.

"Mrs. Gardiner? Hello, it's Will Darcy. I came over a while ago and Lizzy was sobbing. I don't know what's wrong yet, but she said she needed you to come home. I don't think she'll be able to talk now. Yes, certainly. Goodbye."

He hung up and came back over and sat by me, wiping a stray tear off my cheek with his thumb.

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" Darcy asked, true concern on his features.

I took a deep breath and told him. "Lydia, she, she," I started crying again and he could only watch in wretched suspense.

I regained control of myself again. "Sorry, I'm slightly worked up at the moment."

He rubbed my back soothingly. "Of course. Go ahead when you're ready."

I sniffed and started again. "It's Lydia. She, she, she ran off with Wickham to London!" I said speedily. I then started sobbing again, onto Darcy's suddenly stiff shoulder.

He managed to say some words of comfort, and when I stopped crying again said, "Has anybody gone to find her?"

"My father and Mr. Netherfield have gone to London. Jane emailed me saying that they need my uncles assistance. I hope we can leave within half an hour!" I cried. "But what are we supposed to do? I know that there's probably nothing that we can do." I started crying again. "I only hope that the police can find her before she does something she'll regret."

After another few minutes of me crying and Darcy attempting to comfort me, he stood up.

"I wish that I could do something to help, and I hope that they find your sister quickly. I guess this means that the three of you aren't able to come over today?"

I dried my eyes and stood up. "I guess not. Please tell your father and sister that I'm sorry, and tell Fitz and the Bingleys that I'll see them at school next week." I looked back up at him and said, "Thank you, for everything. Goodbye."

Darcy walked over to the door and looked back at me and said quietly, "Goodbye." Then he left.

My only thought was_,_ _I've lost all hope where Darcy is concerned._

**A/N: Did you guys like it? Sometimes I ramble on and on and on in author's notes, but I really have nothing to say. Because I have shut up for once, how about you REIVEW!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I'M BACK! I had no right or reason to be gone for so long! I'M SORRY! It's just that I have struck a dead end on Without The First Couple, because although I know the storyline and what I want to do with that one, I have NO FREAKING CLUE HOW TO PROGRESS AND MAKE A FILLER CHAPTER THAT ISN'T A REPEAT OF EVERYTHING ELSE THAT'S ALREADY HAPPENED. That made me COMPLETELY FORGET about this story, and for that, I apologize! My attempt to buy back your reviews is that I am giving you TWO chapters! :) So, please forgive me and REVIEW!**

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><p>My aunt and uncle and I left a half hour after Darcy. When my aunt sat in the back seat of the car with me and hugged me, I couldn't help but wish that her comforting arms were Darcy's instead. But I knew that Darcy would never hug me again, probably never even want to speak to me again. All chances that I had with him were lost. I wouldn't blame him if he avoided me. I bet it would be his way of letting me down easy. My heart was hurting with worry for Lydia, and missing Darcy. Over the past several months since school began, he had become a part of my life. He always seemed to be there, in the most unexpected places sometimes. I hadn't always wanted him, but now that I finally did it was when he was gone. Darcy's hasty departure from the hotel meant to me that he didn't want anything to do with me. I understood completely. He didn't want anything to do with Wickham, and associating with me would do just that. I just wished that it didn't hurt so much.<p>

When we arrived home, the Netherfields and the Lucases were comforting my mother. Mr. Lucas hadn't been able to leave Lucas Lodge long enough to search for Lydia in London, so he had been leading the search in Meryton with the police and a worried Mr. Forester, in case they hadn't gotten so far. Jane was convinced that Lydia must be in London, for where else could they be so well concealed? Six days passed in this manner, The Netherfields and Lucases came over everyday to try and comfort my mother. She stayed in her bedroom the whole time, moaning about "Poor Lydia!" and how "We will all be ruined from her disgrace!" and "She is not the type of girl to do this if she had been properly looked after!" My uncle Edward had gone to London, after he and the rest of the Gardiners had stayed with us for a day, and he had called every night to try and give us news, but there wasn't any. Wickham and Lydia hadn't been spotted.

I spent my time talking with Jane, as Charlotte had gone on a trip with Collin and his family for break. I assumed the worst about Lydia. I knew any chance of Wickham taking her back home was Impossible. If he was found, he would be charged with kidnapping at the very least. He wouldn't dare show his face here again. I hardly got any sleep through all four days. When I wasn't thinking about Lydia and Wickham, I was thinking about Darcy, and how I might never be friends, or anything more, with him again. I went to hopeful for a relationship between us, to devastated at what could of been. But whenever I thought I should of accepted him at first, I mentally scolded myself. If I had accepted him then, he wouldn't of changed into the person I had come to care for.

Finally, a week after she went missing, we got a phone call. I was re-reading my letter from Darcy, as I did every day since he sent it, when the phone rang. The caller ID showed that it was Jane's father. I answered quickly.

"Hello? Mr. Netherfield?"

"Elizabeth? Yes it's John. We found Lydia."

I instantly felt a wave of relief. "Oh thank God! How did you find her? Is she okay?"

He hesitated before he spoke. "Lizzy, we found her being held at a police station."

My heart stopped beating for a moment. What had happened to Lydia?

John seemed to sense my unease. "She was fine, actually she refused to come with us at first." I sighed. Lydia must be okay if she was still her stubborn self. That was the one trait that the two of us shared.

"We had gone to the police station when we arrived with pictures of both Lydia and Wickham. They told us that they would search and get back to us if they found anything. Well a few days passed and we received a call from the sheriff. He said that," He paused slightly, but I didn't notice, I was so wrapped up in the story.

"Someone found them and had seen the missing photograph of Lydia in the paper. We got to the station immediately and Lydia was there, with no sign of Wickham, who had already been bailed out. Your uncle Edward and I talked to the sheriff while your father spoke with Lydia." Again he stopped in his speech, but I noticed this time. I wondered what was making him so uncomfortable? "After they had been brought in, they were convicted of multiple crimes; shoplifting, underage drinking, graffiti, and stealing a car." I gasped inaudibly. I couldn't believe Lydia would do that! "The car had been stolen and then your sister and Wickham got in a minor accident, they crashed it into a tree. They were both unharmed, but several people saw them fleeing the scene and called the police, saying that two drunk people had crashed a car and then left. Lizzy, Lydia and Wickham are both being made to pay for the car. Wickham paid his share, "He hesitated again, "And we are paying off Lydia's. She has been bailed out." I noticed how cryptic he was being when it came to the finances, and tried pressing him further.

"By who John? My father?" I knew that if my dad did have to pay all that money, that we would be in a tight situation. Our family was a little short on money, because of my mother and Lydia's rapid spending.

John took a minute to reply. "Your uncle. Like I said, we are working on it still." I was confused. My father hadn't even offered to help? This incident was slowly making me realize my father's failings as a parent. He had never executed discipline on any of us, let Mom and Lydia spend all our money, and now Lydia and the Gardiners were suffering from it.

"Oh," was all I managed to say.

"Elizabeth, I'm afraid I have to go. Could I speak to Alicia real quick?" We exchanged goodbyes and I handed the phone to Mrs. Netherfield as I ran to my room, Jane in tow.

I told her everything that her father told me.

"I cannot believe it! How could Wickham make her do that?"

"Alcohol," I replied simply and sullenly.

She put her hand to her mouth as her eyes widened in shock.

"This is terrible Lizzy! At least our fathers managed to get her back."

I looked at my best friend sadly. "Jane, I'm afraid that it was your father and my uncle that did all the work. Uncle Ed was the one to pay for the car and bail Lydia out. Your dad and him are the main reason that Lydia was found. My father is the reason that she left in the first place."

Jane tried to comfort me, but I just turned away.

"I'm sorry Jane, I shouldn't of brought it up. I'm tired, would you mind if I got some rest?"

I knew that she wouldn't believe my lame lie, but Jane was kind enough to understand that I needed to be alone.

"Of course not. It's been a long day. I'll come get you after dinner."

When she went downstairs, I just laid on my bed for twenty minutes, thinking.

I eventually retreated to my favorite pastime, reading my letter from a certain Fitzwilliam Darcy. But instead of the comfort it usually brought to me, reminding me that he used to love me, it only brought despair, reminding me of something he said when he asked me out. "I know that your family isn't in a very wealthy financial state, and your sister and mother are completely ridiculous." He had been right. Darcy was always right. Even he, who only met my family once, had seen our obvious failings. Darcy knew that nothing good could come from Lydia's carelessness, and I had known it too. I wished that I had done things differently! If I had treated him as a friend, he might of changed his pride sooner. Then he might of warned me against Wickham and against Lydia's wild behavior sooner, and this whole thing could have been prevented. I made myself stop thinking of stupid What Ifs. What was done was done, and the only important thing was that Lydia was now safe. I tried to get some sleep, deciding not to have dinner. I eventually fell into a dreamless sleep after thinking multiple times, I love him. I love Darcy. Now what?

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><p><strong>AN: DRAMA! REVIEW!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Here's part 2 of my apology package! Hey, have you guys ever seen the movie Tangled? Great movie, BTW. Animated and AWESOME! I've become kinda obsessed with it... I got a Flynn Rider doll for Christmas as a gag gift for my obsession. :) I wrote a one-shot for Tangled, if you want to check it out! REVIEW!**

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><p>Lydia finally came home with my father, uncle, and Jane's dad. My mother ran from the house, arms flailing through the air, screaming "LYDIA! OH MY LYDIA IS HOME! OH DEAREST LYDIA I HAVE MISSED YOU SO!" After giving her a ten minute lecture on how her leaving was bad for her nerves, how boring it was being stuck with 'Your dull sister Elizabeth', and 'I always KNEW that that horrid George Wickham was a scoundrel' and 'why didn't anyone listen to me?<p>

To this Lydia laughed and replied, "Oh no Mom. Wickham gave me the most wonderful time of my life!"

I frowned at this, and went over to hug my sister. She greeted me, her expression filled with boredom, and said, "Haha Lizzy! I got to go to London and you were stuck here!"

I glared at her. "Actually Lydia, I was having a great time in Derbyshire before you had to become irresponsible and run away."

She just pouted at me. "I still feel bad for you. Uncle Ed told me that you had to hang out with Darcy!" She laughed. "He's hot, but not exciting enough for me. I never want to see him again after the other night!"

I was suddenly on full alert. Lydia had seen Darcy in London? "What do you mean? You saw Darcy in London?"

She just started filing her nails as she replied dully, "Yeah, he was at the station the whole time. He only left when he took Wickham." Lydia let out a gasp. "Whoops! I wasn't supposed to tell you that! It was supposed to be a secret!" She giggled. "Oh well, he was boring anyways."

Lydia left me in shock. Darcy was at the police station with Wickham and Lydia? Why? My mind was very confused. If Lydia had talked to Uncle Ed about Darcy, maybe my aunt knew what was going on? I ran to my room and pulled out my laptop.

**Dear Aunt Maddie,**

**I hope you and Uncle Ed and all the kids are well. Lydia came home today, with some news that interested me greatly. Apparently Will Darcy had been at the police station! Please email back and tell me why he of all people was there! Unless you are supposed to keep the "secret" that Lydia seems to think necessary.**

**Affectionately Yours,**

**Elizabeth Bennet**

After I sent the email I paced my room, deep in thought. I was so confused! I would of thought it mere coincidence that Lydia saw Darcy in London, except for the fact that he was at the police station and took Wickham! It was sounding to me like he bailed Wickham out! I couldn't determine why on Earth he would do that though. About an hour later I heard a noise from my computer, signaling that I had a new email. I tripped in my hurry to read the email, and didn't notice Darcy's worn letter go under my bed from where I dropped it. I finally made it to my computer and quickly opened the email from my aunt.

**Dear Elizabeth,**

**I have to admit, your e-mail caught me off guard. If you really don't know what has been going on, I will have to tell you at once. Three days after we got to town, we received a call from the police, whom we had contacted soon after we got to town. The call was short, but said that someone had brought in the girl from the missing posters, and a man. We rushed down there as soon as would could, to find a strange sight. Will Darcy was there, and appeared to be yelling at Wickham through the cell bars. The boys were to caught up in their fight to notice us all come in. We watched for a minute or two, and they finally seemed to come to an agreement, as they shook hands. Another man came in and conversed quietly with Will, and then started talking to the sheriff. Will finally seemed to realize that your uncle, Mr. Netherfield and I were there, and he came over and talked to us.**

**Apparently he and his father's attorney had left Derbyshire only a few hours after us, heading straight for London. Will had known some of Wickham's old friends who he thought would know where he took Lydia. It took him a few days to track the friends down, and when he finally did, they put up a fight. We could see the effects of it too, as he had a black eye and bruises and cuts all over his face. **-I gasped with concern for Darcy. Was he okay?-** Apparently he lost badly,** -I felt myself getting extremely worried for his safety-** and only one of the friends stayed behind, a Cassie Younge I believe. She said that she knew where Wickham took Lydia, and would tell him for a cost. He paid her money -he refused to tell us how much- and got the address. He went there and found a drunk Wickham and Lydia. He knew that they had been committing crimes the whole time they were in London, and told Wickham that if he came to the police station he would make a deal with him. If Will bailed Wickham out of jail and gave him enough money to find a place to stay in Scotland, Wickham would never bother the Darcys, or anyone associated with them again. He would also stay out of the country for good. Will bribed him to come to the station, and Lydia wanted to come with Wickham. He wanted to make a deal with us. He would pay to get Lydia out of jail, for no cost at all from us. The only thing he wanted in return was for us not to tell you. Will and your uncle battled it out for almost an hour.**

**Will said that the reason he wanted to help was that he felt it was his fault that Lydia had been deceived. He felt it was through his pride and his reserve that Wickham's character had not been made known to the world. If he had not thought it beneath him to put his private actions open to others, Lydia would have known better and never would of run away. It took a lot of persuading to get your uncle to agree. He said that even if he didn't let him take the credit, he would pay it anyways, but this way would make him more content. Trust me Lizzy, we never would of let him pay so easily unless we thought that he had **_**another**_** interest in the affair. He was very sly- he hardly ever mentioned your name. I'm sorry if I'm being presuming, but please let me say how much I like him. His behavior to us in Derbyshire and here in London has been nothing but kind and respectful. Will is really great, all he needs is a little liveliness, and if he makes an exuberant friend, **_**or something more**_**, he will achieve that easily. I would love to talk to you more Lizzy, but the children have been calling me for the past hour. Make sure to tell Will that we all say hi.**

**Love,**

**Madeline Gardiner**

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><p><strong>AN: What does this mean? Hmm. I do not know. :) PS: Do any of you know of any really great Harry Potter fanfics? I just can't seem to find any: that fandom is so huge, and so full of random stuff that isn't any good, that it's hard to sift through that stuff and get to the good fanfics. If you know of any really good ones, please PM or leave me suggestions in a review. It means a lot to me! :) That's all I have to say! REVIEW!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: Jane Austen didn't have to do standardized testing. I do.**

**A/N: Well, I'm in a glum mood. A lot has happened to our school district in the past week and a half, and it's all kind of hitting me now. :/. So this chapter is for the families of CC and SN. Anyways, this story is almost done! Just 2 chapters and the EPICologue left! :)))) (The :)))) is an inside joke between me and TJ. iPinkNinja, don't even bother asking me about it. It's a secret! :) ) Also: I HAVE RECOVERED FROM MY WITHOUT THE FIRST COUPLE WRITER'S BLOCK! :))))))))))))))))))))))) I am so excited! Except I am having a slight difficulty deciding if I want to pair one person with this other person or with somebody else... Because my original plan has been altered when I discovered my love for a new P&P pairing! :) Sorry that took so long! REVIEW!**

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><p>I was bewildered. So it had been Darcy! I couldn't believe it. He found Wickham and Lydia, paid the jail to get them out, and for no cost to ourselves! He must of spent thousands of dollars on Wickham at least! It sounded to me like he had used his private credit card to do it all, only having the attorney to have the sheriff get them out of jail. I could not believe it. He had gotten beat up by a bunch of thugs by the sound of it, had to make a civil agreement with the person he hated most in the whole world, and then gave a boatload of money to the same hated person and a girl he could only have bad feelings for. Why on earth did he do it all? For a moment my heart whispered that he did it for me. But I shook that ridiculous notion out of my head. His reason was perfectly reasonable. His pride and self-esteem, sense of duty wouldn't allow him to let Wickham get away with this. In fact, I was proud of him. Proud that he had gotten over himself to help someone who needed him. I felt rather sad that he had to go through all that, especially the fight with Wickham's friends. Even if I wouldn't be able to tell him how I felt, and I had reluctantly tried to accept that, I still felt a pang of terror at the very idea that he was hurt to any degree. I was startled by this revelation. Did I really love him, or was this just a passing crush? I wasn't sure. I felt somewhere in the middle, but leaning more towards the former. I sighed to myself, sad that I would never get to know what it was like to have him love me and me returning the affection.<p>

I shook myself out of my reverie, and went downstairs to finally eat. While I had read the letter from my aunt, I made an resolution to talk to him and thank him profusely for his help. The next morning I woke up and opened the door to my closet and reached for where I kept my letter. It wasn't there. I started to panic. I knew each and every word by heart, but it was comforting to me to see his neat handwriting, knowing that it was meant for me, seeing how his writing had changed when he was describing Wickham, and visualizing all of his painful emotions. I turned my room inside out looking for my most prized possession, but couldn't find it. I felt an unexplainable sadness inside, which I recognized as missing Darcy, fear that I would never get to tell him how I felt about him, and lack of sleep. I cried myself to sleep, and got a total of 17 hours of sleep that night. I hadn't felt so refreshed since Lydia ran away.

The rest of the final week of spring break was a long one for me. I couldn't wait to see Darcy. I hoped that we would be able to be as close as we had been at his house and at Pemberley. The morning I went back to school finally arrived. I woke up at five I was so excited and nervous. I kept changing my outfit, and finally put on capris and a yellow tanktop. I did my makeup and hair much more cautiously than usual, and almost was late for school by the time I was ready. I drove to school in record-breaking time, and sprinted to my classroom just as the bell ran, getting a raised eyebrow from my teacher, but I didn't care. I couldn't wait for English, to have my first class with Darcy. I practically ran to Mrs. de Bourgh's room, which made her give me a lecture on how to be more "ladylike" but I didn't listen.

Her nephews came in together, and Darcy was grinning and laughing with Fitz in a way that made my head spin. Or maybe it was just the fact that he was in the room. They sat down at the table with me. Fitz was his usual hyper self, but Darcy was more reserved. He simply said hi and then sat down by me. I was disappointed and my mind was rushing from one thing to the next. What if he hated me? Did his kiss on my cheek mean nothing? Was it just for show? Why was he so quiet? Fitz tried to make conversation, but seemed to realize I wasn't really myself and was silent. I kept sneaking peeks at Darcy throughout the lesson. He seemed to be paying complete attention to the lesson, but I did notice him glancing at me when I wasn't directly looking. I decided to make him play as unsuccessfully as myself. Class ended and I tried to catch him and make conversation, but he practically ran out the door. I felt a terrible sadness arise inside me. He didn't even try to talk to me the whole time! His behavior was so irritating to me, that I decided to not think of him again. That resolution was extremely easy to make, and impossible to keep. All day I thought of nothing but Darcy. I sulked off to lunch with Jane after trying to talk to him in the hallway, only getting monosyllabic answers.

I sat down across from Jane, Collin, and Charlotte. I didn't feel like talking to anyone, so I put a seat between Jane and I and Charlotte and I. Nobody seemed to notice my sullen mood, which was perfectly fine with me. Just as lunch was about to end, something extraordinary happened. There was a loud clearing of the throat that echoed throughout the lunchroom, and everyone grew silent as they turned to Charles Bingley, whom was standing on top of his and Darcy's table with a microphone. I looked at Darcy's face who was looking at Charles smugly. What was going on?

"Excuse me everyone!" Charles called. "I have something to say." He looked straight at Jane as he hopped off the table and walked straight over to her, never letting go of the eye contact he had with her. She was looking confused, surprised, and blushing a little bit, which only increased as he knelt down on one knee in front of her. He had wet eyes as he took her hand and held out a single rose to her. There were gasps from everyone in the room, including me. Darcy didn't look surprised, but held that smug look on his face. (Not that I was looking.) Charles spoke again.

"Jane, dearest Jane. I have been a complete and total jerk to you, and understand if you never want to speak to me again. The only reason I think you will even listen to me is because of your kind heart. I love you Jane, and only you. I am truly sorry Jane, for everything. Please give me another chance. Please go on a date with me."

The whole room seemed to be holding their breaths. Jane was crying and her face was redder than a beet. Then the yelling began.

She yanked her hand out of Charles', and glared at him. "CHARLES JOHN BINGLEY! How DARE you! After everything you put me through, you come back here and tell me that you love me, expecting me to just run back to you with open arms?" Everyone was astonished. Sweet Jane Netherfield, who had never raised her voice at anyone in her life, was screaming at someone? I was proud of Jane for finally standing up for herself, but I felt terrible at seeing Charles' devastated face.

Charles had tears coming from his eyes now, and took her hand again. "Jane, I completely understand. And I'm so so-" But Jane yelled again. Everyone in the cafeteria was listening, all staring in disbelief. This incident would certainly not be forgotten anytime soon.

"I wasn't finished yet! I LOVED YOU! And you LEFT me! Saying that you never wanted to even SPEAK to me again! That was the lowest of the low Charles!" Her voice dropped again. "But I forgive you."

Then she did the most un-Jane-like thing imaginable- she jumped off her chair, sat on his knee and said, "Kiss me." There was a dead silence, before he realized what was happening and kissed her. There were claps, cat-calls, whistling, and Aww's from everyone around. Caroline and Lousia Bingley screamed in unison, "WHAT?" Darcy and Fitz stood up on their chairs and yelled, "GO BINGLEY!" I heard from Darcy, "He finally manned up!" I laughed along with everyone at the remark and caught his eye. I grinned at him and he smiled back. Maybe it wasn't such a bad day after all.

Until Darcy frowned and looked down at his tray. I take that back. The day was awful.

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><p><strong>AN: Poor Lizzy. I bet she wishes she had a Mr. Darcy there to cheer her up- Oh wait, she does. :) REVIEW!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: HAPPY SINGLES-AWARENESS DAY! :))))) Or as some of you people call it, Valentines Day. I just had a choir concert, and have NO HOMEWORK TONIGHT. So, I decided to treat you all to the third to last update. That's right: only ONE MORE CHAPTER LEFT! And of course, the EPIClogue. :) Honestly, I am ready for this story to be done with. So, HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!**

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><p>A week passed. Charles, Darcy and Fitz sat with us. Jane and Charles started going out and were blissfully happy. Charlotte broke up with Collin, who went back to sit by himself. He didn't seem to mind the breakup at all. Fitz and Charlotte seemed to really like each other. Darcy was the only one who I wasn't satisfied with. He didn't talk much to any of us. I noticed him looking at me, but not as much as in before I refused him. He was just polite, not friendly. I cried every night, thinking of what I had lost. A week later Jane invited me to go to dinner with her and Charles, saying that Darcy would come too. I accepted happily. Jane was the only one who suspected my true feelings for Darcy. I put on a white dress and took forever to look my best.<p>

Charles pulled up at seven in his car, Jane in the passenger seat and Darcy in the back. I got in the car and sat by him. He was looking at me, and said, "You look pretty." I blushed and said a quiet thank you. It was an overall quiet car ride between the two of us, both wanting to talk but not knowing what to say. Jane and Charles were oblivious to the tension and were chatting amiably as usual. We got to the restaurant and asked for a booth. Charles and Jane sat together on one side and Darcy awkwardly slid into the seat beside me. My heart was pounding hard. We ate a quiet dinner, Jane and Charles only talking to each other.

After the food was gone, Darcy and I were ready to leave, but the restaurant owners took that moment to open the dance floor. We both watched helplessly as Jane and Charles got up to dance. We sat in an awkward silence for a minute, until I worked up the courage to speak.

"Darcy, I wanted to thank you for everything you did for my sister. Ever since I found out, I have been anxious to tell you how grateful I am, for myself and for all my family. Don't blame my aunt for telling me, Lydia let it out first, and I couldn't rest until I knew everything that you did. I'm sorry for all the trouble you went through to get her back to us, the money, the fight," I gulped at the memory of him getting hurt. He still had a black eye from it. "Everything. Thank you, so much Darcy. I don't know how we can ever repay you." I looked at him. His expression was unreadable, but he did seem to be searching my face. He took a deep breath, and said, "If you will thank me, let it be for yourself alone. Your family owes me nothing. I only thought of you and your happiness." My heart started rushing. He couldn't mean...

He looked me in the eye and took my hand gently. "You're too nice to mess with my feelings. If your feelings are still what they were before break, please tell me. My affections and wishes are still the same. But one word from you and I'll never mention this again."

Darcy still loved me. DARCY STILL LOVED ME! I had never been this happy in my entire life.

I had absolutely no idea what to say, so I smiled brilliantly. He looked at me in doubt, and I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him. Darcy just sat there, stiff as a board, so I was afraid that maybe I had imagined everything that he said. I pulled away and at his blank expression, moved back and mumbled, "Sorry." He stared at me in confusion, and slowly leaned away. I felt completely rejected. I must of imagined Darcy saying he still loved me. I got up and ran from the restaurant crying.

Darcy didn't like me. At all. The most horrible thing I could possibly imagine had happened. I stood there and took deep breaths. Suddenly I felt a hand on my wrist. I spun around coming face to face with Darcy. I just stared at him and he stared at me, until he closed the space between us with one swift step, and kissed me. He pulled me closer and I put my arms around his neck. Darcy spun me around through the air and then put me down as we broke apart. Our foreheads were touching and he smiled at me.

"I- I thought you didn't like me? I kissed you and you just sat there." I stammered quietly.

Darcy smiled again and touched my cheek. "That's just because I was so shocked that the girl of my dreams actually kissed me. How could any sensible person not be amazed?" He said.

Darcy's statement made me start crying tears of joy. He wiped away the tears from my face, and I smiled happily. He looked at me in utter amazement. "You really do like me?" Darcy whispered.

I smiled through my tears. Then I hugged him and he cautiously put his arms around my waist. I leaned in so that my mouth was right next to his ear. "I really do like you. I love you."

Darcy leaned back to look at me. His eyes had watered and he still looked doubtful.

"Are you sure? Don't say it just because you feel grateful about Lyd-" Darcy didn't get to finish because I had kissed him again. I knew that Darcy would probably be insecure about my affections for him, considering all that had happened. I decided then and there that I would spend as long as necessary assuring Darcy that I loved him.

Eventually we heard the door open but we didn't break apart.

"Darcy? Elizabeth? Where did you guys go-" Charles Bingley stopped walking and talking in disbelief at our spectacle, causing Jane to walk straight into his back. "Charles? What happen-" She started, but stopped mid-sentence at seeing me kissing Darcy.

We finally pulled apart and grinned at our friend's dumbstruck expressions. Charles looked as if he had been hit on the head with a hammer and was about to fall unconscious, and Jane appeared as though there was a tap-dancing elephant on the pavement in front of her.

Darcy and I laughed but paid no more attention to them, and turned back to each other.

"Elizabeth Bennet, did I ever tell you I love you?" He asked softly.

I smiled, even though I knew it was a rhetorical question, answered him anyways. "You didn't have to tell me." I pecked Darcy lightly on the cheek as I said it. "It wouldn't make any difference. Will," I felt him grin at my use of his first name and I smiled. "I will still love you, even if you don't love me and never will."

Darcy had an expression of heart-felt delight on his face as he said, "Elizabeth Bennet, that is a problem that you will never have." Darcy pulled me into his arms bridal style, and I laughed at his joyful and slightly crazy antics, making him grin and kiss me again.

We completely forgot about how Jane and Charles had no idea what was going on, as they thought if Elizabeth Bennet and Will Darcy were kissing each other, either pigs were flying or there was blackmail involved. They exchanged a seriously confused look, and Charles said, "Um... Darcy? What the heck is going on?"

Darcy put me down and grinned at his friend. "Isn't it obvious? I'm kissing Elizabeth Bennet."

He threw his head back and laughed the most joyful laugh I could ever imagine. "I'm kissing Elizabeth Bennet!" Darcy yelled.

I giggled and he looked at me in amazement again. "I can't believe I'm finally kissing Elizabeth Bennet." Darcy spoke so quietly that I knew it was meant for me only.

I smiled at Darcy reassuringly as I took his face in my hands. "Well you had better believe it, because I am about to kiss Fitzwilliam Darcy." And I did.

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><p><strong>AN: What a lovely, fluffy V-Day present. In return, send me a review to wish ME a happy Singles-Awareness Day! :) Please.**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: I'm trying 2 update this really fast before I have to leave! AHHHH! My mom is being annoying! I'm starving to death and she won't let us stop for food! If that changes while we are in the car, I'll tell you in the next update. I AM SO FREAKING HUNGRY! :((((((((( I feel lightheaded and I WANT FOOD! Rant aside, enjoy the chapter. Oh yeah, THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER! AHHHHHH! :)))) Then the epilogue will come next week. I love all of my readers and reviewers! Seriously! And I know that you guys would give me food. REVIEW!**

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><p>I woke up to my alarm clock and stretched. Had it all been a dream? I turned off the alarm and got dressed sluggishly. It was a fantastic dream. Darcy had said he loved me, and we kissed. Jane and Charles were dumbfounded, and when we finally explained to them they shared a knowing glance, that made us question them severely. They had told us that the both of them had guessed that we liked each other and were in a betting pool with Fitz and Charlotte about how long it would take for us to get together. Apparently Charlotte won by two days, Charles came second by two weeks, Jane came in third with one month, and Fitz lost by seven years. We laughed long and hard about Fitz's lack of faith in his cousin.<p>

I shook my head. Dreams like that would only make me even sadder that he didn't like me. I went over to my computer, and was surprised to see an email from Jane.

**Lizzy! You had better tell me everything about you and Darcy! One minute you two are silent at the restaurant and the next Charles and I got outside to find you two kissing! I know you said you didn't hate him anymore, but I had no idea it went to this extent. I expect you to tell me all young lady!**

**-Jane**

I re-read it slowly. And I read it again. And again. And again. It hadn't been a dream! I started jumping up and down, shrieking with joy. I heard running through the hallway as Lydia, my father, and my mother burst into my room.

"Lizzy you ruined my beauty sleep! What got you so worked up?"

"Elizabeth? Is everything all right?"

"ELIZABETH BENNET WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING YELLING LIKE THAT SO EARLY? YOUR FATHER AND I WERE TRYING TO ENJOY BREAKFAST, AND YOU RUINED YOUR SISTER'S REST!"

I stopped jumping and grinned joyfully at them as I yelled even louder than my mother, "HE LOVES ME!"

They all looked at me like I had gone mad (which I probably had) until my mother asked cautiously, "Who loves you?"

I ran to her and immersed her in a huge bear-hug as I yelled, "DARCY! HE LOVES ME MOM! HE LOVES ME DAD! LYDIA, HE LOVES ME!"

Lydia was the first to react. "Way to go Lizzy! You got the cute guy!" I ran to her and hugged her. After years and years of not getting along, Lydia and I finally had a nice moment. It didn't last long.

"Now I'll have another chance at him when he dumps you!" She squealed.

Well, some things never change.

My mother pushed Lydia away and squeezed me so tightly I couldn't breathe. "MY LIZZY IS GOING TO BE SO RICH! WHAT MONEY AND JEWELS YOU WILL HAVE! OH I KNEW IT! I KNEW THAT MY LIZZY WOULD DO WELL!"

"Mom! It's not an offer of marriage." I was slightly embarrassed at the spectacle I realized I must of made, but was too happy to care.

She winked at me. "Well that's what it seems like to me! Oh Mr. Bennet isn't this wonderful!"

I turned to my father who looked at me. "Well then, I think I'm going to go to the study." He also winked at me and left. After much persuading ("Mom you don't want me to look bad in front of Darcy"), Lydia and my mother left to let me get dressed in peace. I put on the blue dress that I wore at Darcy's house and practically ran out the door to my car. I nearly speeded I was so excited to get to school.

I literally skipped down the hallway, with a grin plastered on my face. I reached my locker and pulled out all my books. I was shutting the locker as I felt strong arms engulf me. I turned around quickly and was kissed hello by my boyfriend. The phrase in my head felt so right, that when he started to pull away I just leaned in more, and more enthusiastically.

I finally pulled back and said, "Hello there Will," to a grinning Darcy.

"Fancy meeting you here Elizabeth," He replied.

We finally seemed to realize that the hallway had gone silent as we looked around at all the gaping mouths. Darcy just smiled at everyone. When nobody said anything he said cheerfully, "Go ahead and take a picture. It will last longer." I giggled and he took my books as we walked down the hallway, hand in hand, leaving very confused people and lots of gossip in our wake.

I sat by him in all the classes we had together, and we would hold hands under the table. People were whispering about us all day. "Did you see Will Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet kiss this morning?" "Are they going out?" "What's wrong with him?" "They make such a cute couple!" "I knew he liked her!" Darcy and I didn't notice any of it.

In English when we sat by Fitz and were supposed to do group work, we just sat there talking about how much we loved each other until Fitz smacked Darcy on the head mumbling, "Love-struck dunderhead." This got laughs from everyone in class and made Darcy grin and kiss me on the cheek. Fitz groaned and put his head on the table., the class laughed, and Mrs. de Bourgh glared. I just smiled, as Darcy did in turn.

At lunch we sat together with Charles, Jane, Fitz, and Charlotte. The only person I wanted to talk to was Darcy, and that was fine, as the other four were pairing off. We talked of anything and everything. Fitz, Jane, Charles, and Charlotte didn't cease to make fun of us.

"Elizabeth, I love you." Darcy said.

I smiled. We had been playing our little game all day.

"Will, I love you more." I replied.

He grinned. "Not as much as I love you."

"I love you the most."

"I love you the more than most."

"I love you the mostest."

"I love you the most of all."

"I love you-"

But I didn't get a chance to reciprocate, as suddenly Darcy and I were pelted with grapes. We screamed and ducked under the table.

"Will," I whispered.

"Yes Lizzy?"

I smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm pretty sure we both love each other, so lets go throw grapes at Charles and Fitz. Okay?"

He laughed. "Perfect."

We both sprung up from under the table and started throwing grapes back at Charles and Fitz. Soon the four of us were in a huge grape fight, until a teacher came and told us to knock it off. By that time we were too busy laughing to care. Jane and Charlotte laughed hysterically at us in our purple-stained clothing. We just found it funny.

As we went to our separate classes he kissed goodbye me in front of everybody, making Caroline Bingley scream in frustration and try to dump her soda on me. Just as she approached me, she got tripped by Fitz, and as she tried to regain her balance, she fell backwards, pouring brown Diet Coke all over her short bright orange dress. She shrieked and ran from the lunchroom. Everyone clapped and laughed as Fitz took a bow. I couldn't help but join in.

The end of the day came, and I found myself dreading the evening when I would be separated from Darcy, because I might not get to see him all weekend. He had told me to wait by the fountain outside after school, and I had been waiting for twenty minutes. Where was he? Everyone else in the school had left already, apart from the teachers. I was afraid that Darcy had forgotten about me, and was filled with doubt.

I was about to get up to leave when I saw a familiar curly head of dark hair walking up to me. My heart soared as I saw my favorite person in the entire world approach me with a bouquet of flowers. I cried even more happy tears as he sat by me and gave them to me with a note with three simple words on them, that meant the world to me. I love you. I smiled softly kissed him on the cheek. I took a pen out of my bag and on the note I wrote, I love you too. He didn't even read the note. He already knew what it said. He pulled me close and whispered, "I love you." Then Darcy kissed me.


	23. Epilogue

**A/N: Well, this is the last chapter of my first ever story. Isn't it exciting? A sincere shout-out to every single person who has read, reviewed, alerted, and favorited this story. Every time I got an email for a review, or checked my stats and saw that I had gotten another 2000 views, I smiled. I hope that you have loved reading this story as much I have loved writing it. This epilogue was not originally part of my plan, but I wrote it more recently for the reviewers. **

**Thank you so much everyone, and I hope you enjoy the epilogue of Pride and Prejudice and High School!**

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><p>The day was brisk and clear. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, which was good, because it fit the mood of the wedding. A gentleman paced back and forth in his study. His only other daughter was getting married. At least this one had planned it out correctly, instead of acting like her irresponsible sister and running off with a scoundrel when she was eighteen. She had talked to him after her fiancé asked for his consent. He was reluctant to let her go, as she had always been his favorite, but she was twenty-four, and able to make her own decisions. Besides, he approved of her choice immensely. They had been together for six years, and the man was like a son to him. Her father knew that the fiancé was completely and utterly besotted with his daughter, and also knew that she felt the same. Mr. Bennet sighed, as he had to leave now or he would be late. His daughter's friend would kill him if he missed the wedding. She had planned it all out, from the dresses to the confetti, and everyone knew not to question Jane Bingley. She was known for her caring heart, kindness, and her strong temper when she was displeased. Mr. Bennet chuckled at remembering the timid young girl she used to be, never raising her voice. Marriage to Charles Bingley had treated her well, providing her with a backbone, and twin babies.<p>

Mr. Bennet got out of his study and walked to the kitchen, where Mrs. Bennet was mumbling something about her hair, nerves, and "Darling Darcy, being so charitable to marry our little girl." The husband and wife got in the car, and Mr. Bennet couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like to walk his real little girl down the aisle, as he hadn't been invited to (or even informed of) the wedding of his youngest, Lydia Wickham. He knew she wouldn't be here, as the last anyone had heard of her was two years ago, saying that she was pregnant with her second child. Mr. Bennet shook his head at the disgrace of his daughter, and focused on tuning out Mrs. Bennet.

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><p>"There, all done." Jane Bingley pulled away from Elizabeth's hair. It had to be perfect for the wedding.<p>

"Jane it looks wonderful!" Her friend smiled.

Jane grinned. "I'm not a hair stylist for nothing!"

Jane watched her beautiful friend put on her shoes. So much had changed in six years. She was now a married woman, with two wonderful twin babies, Elizabeth and William. Jane sighed, remembering all the good times. The ice cream fight on her twentieth birthday, Charles' proposal, and Charlotte's wedding. She frowned. Actually, Charlotte's wedding wasn't a very happy memory. Neither she or Elizabeth had been pleased when Charlotte married Collin Williams at nineteen. They knew that Fitz had been in love with their friend, and she with him, but Charlotte had chosen money over happiness. Jane's eyes brightened at the memory of the previous Kitty Forster's wedding to Richard Fitzwilliam. Fitz always had on a smile, but she had never seen him so happy as the day he married the love of his life. She was glad that she and Kitty were the bridesmaids, as Kitty had turned into a graceful young woman after the shock of Mrs. Wickham's elopement wore off.

Elizabeth turned to her. "I can't believe it Jane. Everything has happened so fast!"

Jane laughed, thinking the exact opposite. "That is if you consider six years fast!" The women giggled as Kitty Fitzwilliam knocked on the door before coming in.

"Elizabeth, you look gorgeous!" Kitty squealed.

Elizabeth smiled. "So do you Kitty!"

Mrs. Fitzwilliam grinned, and turned to Mrs. Bingley. "It's time to get going." Jane took a deep breath, preparing herself for what was to come. "Thank you Kitty, we will just be a moment."

After Kitty left, Jane and Elizabeth turned to each other and hugged.

"I will miss you Jane."

"Not that much will change Lizzy, at least between us. Charles and Darcy are together every day anyways, and it will just be more convenient too see you both every day for the rest of our lives."

The best friends smiled as the bride in the white linked arms with the maid of honor in the light pink, and they walked out the door.

* * *

><p>Charles Bingley watched his best friend pace back and forth. For some reason, it reminded him of second grade when Darcy had tried to determine whether or not to tell his father that it was him who accidently lost his mother's $200 gold necklace in a game of capture the flag, when the necklace had been used as a flag. Mr. Bingley chuckled at the memory, causing Mr. Darcy to turn to him in surprise.<p>

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"Oh nothing, just thinking of the past." Charles replied.

Darcy stared at him for a moment, before nodding briskly and pacing again, causing Charles to laugh some more. Darcy looked at him in irritation, which reminded Charles of when he had offered to pretend that there had been a robbery and the necklace had been stolen. Even when he was eight years old, Darcy was the very model of honesty.

"Darce, do you remember when we were playing capture the flag in second grade, and you lost the necklace your father had given your mother for her anniversary?"

Darcy thought for a moment, and smiled fondly when he remembered. "Yes, I remember that. You offered to help me stage a robbery, if I recall."

The men laughed, and as Charles looked at Will he thought, 'I'm going to miss you, old friend.'

* * *

><p>The sister of the groom tapped her foot in irritation, her arms crossed. Where on Earth was Henry? She was just about to go looking for her fiancé when a very happy Richard Fitzwilliam crossed her path.<p>

"Georgiana!" He called.

She ran over enthusiastically to her favorite cousin. "Fitz! Have you seen Henry?" Richard groaned. "Georgie, you know that I hate the idea of you getting married, even to someone I like as much as Henry Brown."

Georgiana rolled her eyes. Her overprotective brother and her cousin had both threatened to beat up Henry when they found out they were engaged. Will and Richard were wonderful, but she hadn't been able to really date anyone after Wickham until Richard got married and Will went off to Cambridge with Elizabeth. Georgiana was extremely happy at the thought of having Elizabeth as her sister-in-law. She laughed at the thought that nothing would really change, as Will and Elizabeth had been around each other every day for the past six years. The only time Elizabeth wasn't at the Darcy's house was when Will was at the Bennet's. Her random laughter caused Mr. Fitzwilliam to raise his eyebrow, and made the future Mrs. Brown blush.

"I was just thinking about time, and how fast it goes," she replied to his unasked question. His face softened and he engulfed his cousin in a hug. "So have we all Georgie, so have we all."

He released her and whispered, "And your Henry may or may not be locked in a closet down the hallway." As he ran away Georgiana laughed. Some things never changed. And Richard's affability for pranks was one of them.

* * *

><p>The church music began, and Fitzwilliam Darcy's heart nearly leapt out of his chest. It was finally time. After pacing so hard he wore a path in the carpet, he was getting married to the love of his life, the woman he had fantasized about being married to for nearly seven years. He realized with a shock that the wedding was the same day as when he first met her, seven years ago. He couldn't pace in front of the whole church, because half of the many eyes were on him, so he pretended to pace in his head. Mr. Darcy scanned faces in crowd. He saw the Bennets, the Netherfields, a newly married Mary Smith nee Netherfield, his father, Henry Brown, the Williams and their three children, his cousin Anne de Bourgh and his aunt, the older Fitzwilliams, Lou and Lousia Hurst, and (he observed with a slightly smug expression in his mind) a Caroline Bingley who was glaring daggers into his skull. He didn't care, because he was about to become the happiest man on Earth. He had asked to marry her when they had been dating for two years, but she demanded a college degree first. Darcy had just smiled at her persistence, and followed her to Cambridge University.<p>

Mr. Darcy was still lost in his thoughts when the doors opened and the three year old flower girl, his second cousin, Georgiana Fitzwilliam, trotted down the aisle. She then went completely out of wedding conduct and hugged his legs, saying, "Have fun Cousin Dawcy." He laughed along with the rest of the church and leaned down and hugged her, as she took her place with her chuckling grandparents. Darcy looked to the side at her father and Charles, who were trying hard to hide their laughter. Richard grinned at Will who winked in turn. Charles just rolled his eyes at his two best friend's antics.

Fitzwilliam Darcy turned back to the doors of the church where a beautiful Jane Bingley was coming down the aisle with a simple grace, making her husband take a sharp intake of breath. Fitzwilliam admitted to himself that Jane looked lovely in her long pink gown, but she wasn't the woman he was waiting for. Behind her his cousin Kitty and his sister Georgiana were walking together, looking as radiant as always in the same dresses as Jane. Finally the one he loved appeared.

Elizabeth looked beautiful on the arm of Mr. Bennet in her new white strapless gown with silver ornate decorations on it. The old silver flower in her hair was the same one as she had worn the day at Pemberley, when fate had offered him another chance with her. The blue pendant on her necklace was beautiful, and if he could of seen them, he may of thought about how exquisite the silver shoes that she had borrowed from Mrs. Bingley were. But he didn't think about any of this. All Fitzwilliam Darcy thought was, 'Elizabeth is perfect. And she is almost mine.'

* * *

><p>The bride walked through the doors, her heart doing flips similar to the ones it had done when he said he loved her six years ago. She looked straight at her future husband, and zoned out everything except for him and his big brown eyes. Elizabeth didn't hear the music, didn't see any of her friends or family, and didn't feel the soft silk of her wedding dress. All she saw was Darcy. She knew exactly how much he loved her, and she knew exactly how much she loved them. The two young people loved each other exactly the same amount, and they both knew how much. They both loved each other more than they loved themselves. Elizabeth had to focus on his eyes so that she wouldn't stumble under pressure. Looking into his eyes had always made her feel safe, for the past six years. Nothing could please her more than to be with him.<p>

Elizabeth Bennet walked down the aisle on the arm of her teary father and as the reached Darcy, she finally registered her previously most beloved man's countenance. He was crying, and he was sad, and he was happy, but most of all he was proud. She teared up at the sight of him, and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled at her and handed his most prized possession to the person who would now have her for the rest of her life. Elizabeth watched her father sit down before she turned to Darcy, Mr. Bennet already forgotten.

"Ready?" She whispered.

He smiled at his treasure and said softly, "I will always be ready for you."

Elizabeth felt her heart about to burst. She remembered how she would always love him, and always be ready for him. When they quarreled, which they undoubtedly would, she would remember that he was hers and she was his, and that nothing could change that. Elizabeth and Darcy walked up the aisle, and to the minister.

Elizabeth almost didn't hear anything the priest said, she just stared into Darcy's eyes which were full of unshed tears, and she had no doubt that hers were the exact same. The minister asked if there were any objections, as Elizabeth held her breath. There were none. They exchanged the rings that both had engraved on the inside, "You were worth it all. FD+EB", to symbolize all the trouble they went through to have each other at last.

She finally tuned in as he said, "Do you, Fitzwilliam Darcy," and listed all the things he would accept to do in marriage. Elizabeth wasn't worried at him not accepting, all the way back in high school he was able to reassure her that he would always say yes to her.

As the priest waited for Darcy to accept, the man said, "I do."

Elizabeth listened to her vows being read, and analyzed Darcy as she did. He wasn't the same person as he was seven years ago. No, he was completely different. He had changed everything for her. Darcy was now the man she loved and would always love, not the arrogant high schooler he used to be. The minister finished and looked at her expectantly. She said, "I do." Darcy had never ever, in his whole life, looked so happy.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. Mr. Darcy, you may kiss the bride!"

And Mr. Darcy most certainly did.

* * *

><p>As the limo drove away, Darcy looked at his beloved Elizabeth, and pulled from his jacket pocket a little card that had been in a bouquet of flowers about six years ago, and had been long forgotten by Elizabeth. The card said two similar things, written in two different styles of handwriting, by two different people who were now one. It said; <strong>I love you. I love you too.<strong> Elizabeth looked at the card and smiled fondly, before dropping it and moving onto her husband's lap.

As Mrs. Darcy was about to kiss Mr. Darcy, he stopped and said, "I can't believe you are finally mine."

She smiled and said, "You had better believe it, because I will be yours forever."

Her Darcy kissed his Elizabeth. Their struggle was finally over. The pride and prejudice had finally completely disappeared, so that only the memory was left. The end of all the pain and heartbreak was finally official.

The bad times had ended.

It was a new beginning.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: *tears* It's done, Pride and Prejudice and High School is over! I hope that the epilogue did credit to the rest of the story. Again, I just want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and/ or alerted this story. It really means a lot to me, and I hope you enjoy my future works as well!**

**-ipodrocker16**


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